Thanksgiving holiday travel is well underway, with many people reaching their destinations, but for others, a continuing storm from the Rockies to the Midwest and Northeast into Thursday will bring rain and snow. air traffic, potentially impacting flights and busy roads.
Just under 3 million people are scheduled to be screened by the Transportation Security Administration on Wednesday, and a record 71.7 million people are expected to travel by car over Thanksgiving, more than 1 million more than last year.
The storm, which dumped snow on the Rocky Mountains Wednesday morning, is expected to weaken in the afternoon and move eastward through Wednesday and into the Midwest and Northeast into Thanksgiving.
Rain, ice and snow are possible, with the rain increasing in the evening from St. Louis to Indianapolis to Pittsburgh.
The storm will move east through the night, dumping freezing rain along I-95 from Richmond to Boston in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning.
As of Wednesday night, there were nearly 4,000 delays and 45 cancellations on flights within and outside the United States, according to FlightAware.
American Airlines said it expected more than 650,000 customers to travel on about 6,400 mainline and regional flights on Tuesday and about 6,400 flights on Wednesday.
A shortage of air traffic controllers caused ground delays at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport from 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday to 2 a.m. Thursday.
On Wednesday, Newark experienced more than 300 total delays, some lasting at least 95 minutes.
The FAA announced Wednesday afternoon that delays are expected in Denver and Salt Lake City due to snow and ice.
In those cities, airport workers were deicing planes and preparing them for departure. Denver led the way Wednesday with 600 delayed flights.
According to FlightAware, delays also occurred in Boston, Dallas and Las Vegas, with delays in the triple digits.
Fog in Tampa affected outbound flights on Wednesday, with 37 outbound delays reported at Tampa International Airport, according to FlightAware. Delays have also been an issue in Seattle and Los Angeles, and low ceilings are expected to have some impact on flight operations, the FAA said early Wednesday.
For motorists, rain affected I-80, I-64, and I-75 on Wednesday, and I-25 and I-75 in the Rocky Mountains. Highway 70 was affected by snow.
On Thanksgiving Day, heavy rain will fall along the I-95 corridor from Florida to Maine, and heavy snow will fall across the interior Northeast and interior New England.
Areas north of the Hudson Valley in upstate New York and interior New England can expect 1 to 3 inches of wet snow, with localized totals of more than 6 inches expected on the highest mountain peaks.
Northeastern Pennsylvania to New Hampshire could see 3 to 6 inches of snow, possibly more, and strong winds could cause power outages in the area.
The iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will go ahead rain or shine, as temperatures in the Big Apple are expected to be in the 40s and drizzling rain. Winds are expected to be less than 16 miles per hour, just enough for balloons to fly. If maximum sustained winds exceed 23 mph or gusts exceed 34 mph, the parade’s popular balloons will not be able to fly.
Cold rain is expected in East Coast cities such as Baltimore, Washington DC, New York, Hartford, and Boston, with precipitation totals of 0.50 to 1 inch. Driving is easy, including taking Interstate 95 into Maine and into Virginia and Maryland.
By the overnight hours into Friday morning, travel should settle to near normal conditions as the system pushes out of the New England region.
But with cold winds blowing across New England, a lake-effect snow event is in full swing around the Great Lakes and will continue into Sunday.
Hubs highlighted Thursday include Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.
Sunday, typically the busiest day of the Thanksgiving week as people return home from holiday travel, will remain cold across the country, with lake-effect snow expected around the Great Lakes and in the Northeast.
A total of 3 million people are expected to pass through the TSA on Sunday, approaching this year’s record of 3.01 million people set on the Sunday after Independence Day.
Chicago and Detroit may experience some problems at their airports on Sunday, but the East and West Coasts look good for road and air travel.
Meanwhile, much of the northern Plains and upper Midwest will experience bitter cold late this week, with temperatures expected to be 10 to 20 degrees below normal starting Thanksgiving Day.
From Thursday through Sunday, highs in Chicago will be in the 30s and 20s, and lows will be in the 10s, while New York will have highs in the 40s and lows near 28 degrees. In Washington, D.C., high temperatures will be in the 50s and 40s, with lows in the 30s. And in my late 20s. Minneapolis will see lows in the single digits into the weekend.
As travelers take to the skies to join loved ones, authorities are warning people leaving their cars in airport parking lots to be wary of vehicle theft.
More than 300 cars have been stolen from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the nation’s busiest, this year, nearly triple the number from last year, according to Atlanta police.
“The suspect was able to program a key fob into the vehicle, which led us to where we are now,” said Maj. Kelly Collier, Atlanta Airport Division commander. This year, police are adding cameras, bike patrols and new fencing to curb crime across the 30,000 parking spaces.
More than 50 vehicles have been stolen from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport this year, with police saying the crimes were the work of a car theft ring that targets airports in multiple states. DFW Airport Police arrested the alleged ringleader last month.
A woman named Katie told NBC News that she and her husband went on a work trip and returned to Columbus International Airport to find their car missing.
“When we parked our car in the parking lot attached to the airport and got out, we couldn’t believe that our car was gone. We felt safer and more secure in that environment. I thought so,” she said. Police later found it abandoned and completely stripped.
“I hope the airport increases security so we can travel and come back and leave our cars there,” she added.
