A series of storms are marching through much of the eastern half of the United States and will likely trouble tens of millions of Americans looking to get a head start on Thanksgiving travel Tuesday and early Wednesday with traffic delays and flight cancellations.
The first storm system, which roughly centers over the Mississippi Valley as of Tuesday morning, is expected to continue pushing westward to deliver strong wind, freezing rain, and severe thunderstorms across a region stretching from the central Gulf Coast up through the southern part of the Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
“Thunderstorms are expected to be most intense early today across the lower Mississippi Valley,” the federal agency said, adding that by Tuesday evening, the Appalachian and the Mid-Atlantic regions will be seeing downpours.
Still, farther north, New England will start Tuesday evening with a wintry mix, with cold air supporting snow and freezing rain over upstate New York and heavy snow possible across the higher elevations of New Hampshire and Maine, the NWS said.
On its heels, a second storm system is expected to push southward out of Canada to develop an “expanding area of snow” covering the northern Rockies and the northern High Plains, beginning late Wednesday into Thanksgiving Day.
Major travel hubs, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York City, and St. Louis, will be facing adverse weather during two of the busiest travel days of the year.
AAA Projects Over 55 Million Thanksgiving Travelers
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), this year’s Thanksgiving season will see 55.4 million Americans traveling 50 miles or more from home, marking a 2.3 percent increase over last year as well as the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since the national organization began tracking holiday travel in 2000.“For many Americans, Thanksgiving and travel go hand in hand, and this holiday, we expect more people on the roads, skies, and seas compared to 2022,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “Travel demand has been strong all year, and AAA’s Thanksgiving forecast reflects that continued desire to get away and spend time with loved ones.”
The great majority of Thanksgiving travelers are expected to drive to their destinations. AAA projects 49.1 million Americans will get behind the wheel, an increase of 1.7 percent compared to the 2022 figure.
Meanwhile, 4.7 million people are expected to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday, an increase of 6.6 percent compared to 2022 and the highest number of Thanksgiving air travelers since 2005.
The number of people traveling on a cruise, bus and train over Thanksgiving is also up nearly 11 percent over last year. Some 1.55 million travelers will head out of town using these modes of transportation, according to AAA.
Amtrak, which America’s largest passenger rail system, is expecting 750,000 passengers nationwide this week. The holiday travel period for Amtrak spans from Monday until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with the busiest day on Wednesday.
The rail network has said it is adding more services and extra cars to meet the surging demand for travel. But it’s also advising travelers not to press their luck and instead book train tickets as early as possible.
“We encourage people who haven’t booked their ticket yet to go ahead and do that if you are planning on taking Amtrak. You want to go ahead and book as soon as possible to make sure that you have a space,” a spokesperson for Amtrak said.
