Early Christmas travel plans are threatened by storms, with rain and snow forecast for millions
A record 119 million Americans are expected to travel for the December holidays
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Your support makes all the difference.As millions of Americans begin their journey home for the holidays, stormy weather forecast across the US this week could impede their efforts.
Nearly 120 million people will travel over the year-end holidays, according to the nonprofit AAA. Of those, nearly 90 percent will drive and a record number of air travelers are expected to take to the skies this year.
The nonprofit said that this year’s domestic travel projection narrowly surpasses the previous record set in 2019. This year, the organization expects an additional three million travelers compared to last year.
“This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, we’re anticipating record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday,” Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel, said in a statement.
But, travelers hoping to beat the rush during the last work week before the Christmas holiday, could be met with delays like last year.
Snow and rain will fall across large swaths of the US.
Another atmospheric river was forecast over the Pacific Northwest, the Great Basin, and Rockies on Tuesday. The heaviest rain will reach the coastal ranges of northern Oregon and Washington, with some high elevation mountain snow falling over the Cascades.
Lower elevation inland locations can expect a wintry mix and some freezing rain is possible in Washington.
Some showers and storms will kick off from the Lower Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio Valleys through the day.
On Wednesday, rain will spread across the Southeast and coastal Northeast. In the interior Northeast, snow showers could bring moderate amounts for higher mountain elevations.
Snow was also expected on the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains regions on Tuesday, with light snow showers moving toward the Great Lakes on Wednesday.
Over the northern Plains, intense snow will develop by the evening, with between two and four inches expected through Thursday morning.
Lake-effect snow has already hit the Great Lakes, Midwest, and Northeast this month, stranding vehicles and forcing New York Governor Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency.
Previous atmospheric river events resulted in flood warnings across California. Storms this weekend also brought a surprise: an EF-1 tornado that touched down in Central California.
The City of San Francisco got its first tornado warning on record.
During the Thanksgiving holiday travel period last month, more than three million travelers were screened at US airports in a single day. That tally broke the previous record
The Transportation Security Administration said Monday that it handled 3.09 million travelers on Sunday, breaking the previous record for the most travelers in a single day by about 74,000.
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