Many travelers who spend more than just the day at their Thanksgiving destination are usually prepared for heavy travel when heading back home. However, this year’s holiday storm could add even more challenges to an already stressful journey.
The winter storm began moving through parts of the Midwest and South on Wednesday night and was expected to spread across the East by Thanksgiving Day. Now, the cold will bring daytime highs 10 to 20 degrees below average, with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s, stretching from Omaha, Nebraska, to New York and southward.
Here’s what you need to know about the weather this weekend to help ensure a safe journey home.
Winter Storm Warnings Post-Thanksgiving
Winter storm warnings are in effect from eastern New York through central and northern New England, with the potential for over a foot of fresh snow, according to National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters.
Freeze warnings are issued when temperatures are forecast to be below 32 degrees for several hours within the next 24 hours, according to the NWS. Under a freeze warning, you should bring any plants indoors and take any necessary action to prevent plumbing from freezing.
Previously, Weather.com reported that the Thanksgiving Day forecast didn’t “look great for much of the East,” with possible thunderstorms in the Southeast, a wintry mix around the Great Lakes, and varying conditions across the Northeast and New England.
Winter storm warnings and advisories were in effect across 14 states, with some mountain areas expecting up to 7 feet of snow. Warnings were issued for parts of Colorado, Idaho, Alaska, California, Oregon, and Nevada, while advisories covered Michigan, Maine, Wyoming, New York, Wisconsin, Vermont, New Mexico, and Minnesota, many lasting through Wednesday.
Travel Delays
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) prepared for its busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record, expecting to screen 18.3 million passengers between Tuesday and December 2—an increase of 6% compared to last year.
Travel was relatively smooth on Thanksgiving Eve morning, but disruptions occurred later due to a storm in the Rockies, bringing heavy snow and causing delays for departing flights in Denver and Salt Lake City. Denver International Airport reported over 700 flight delays, according to FlightAware data. By Thursday night, however, flight delays at Denver were reduced to under 15 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA also reported similar issues at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, a major hub for United Airlines. On Wednesday, Newark saw 95-minute delays due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, though the delay was lifted by Thursday morning. There were over 400 delays at Newark on Wednesday, with 20 more on Thursday morning.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was still set to go ahead as planned, despite earlier reports of rain. A spokesperson for Macy’s confirmed that the parade would take place rain or shine.Fox Forecast Center Meteorologist Greg Diamond also assured that the winds shouldn’t be strong enough to affect the iconic balloons.
“The balloons can’t fly if there are sustained winds at about 23 miles an hour,” said Diamond. “Right now we’re forecasting staying winds will be around 10 to 15 miles an hour, so a little bit of a breeze, but not enough to take down the balloon so they will still be fly-based.”