Airlines have started issuing advisories and waiving change fees ahead of a series of storms heading across the United States during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
According to Weather.com, snow continues to fall in the Rockies and the higher elevations of the Northwest Monday, with rain being reported along the Northwest coast. Roads have been impacted, but flights remain unaffected thus far.
In preparation for the influx of travelers and the rough weather, several of the top airlines in the U.S. have started waiving change fees and issuing travel advisories, including American, Delta, Southwest and United.
Are you planing to travel on the day before #Thanksgiving? Here’s AccuWeather’s latest travel outlook: https://t.co/SXOgpgB6eb pic.twitter.com/Uj5JgVKQHt
— Zachary’s Weather (@ZacharysWeather) November 22, 2019
As for Tuesday, a low-pressure system will move over the Midwest, while a second system is likely to push ashore into the West Coast starting Tuesday into Wednesday. Travel delays are possible for the Midwest into the lower Mississippi Valley, as well as parts of the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest.
A swath of rain and thunderstorms are threatening to slow down motorists from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf Coast in the days prior to Thanksgiving: https://t.co/TDtVvji00E pic.twitter.com/lmjiCxVrFr
— AccuWeather (@breakingweather) November 25, 2019
Many travelers will be taking to the road and skies on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but the weather could impact plans. Scattered rain showers will soak the East, while windy conditions in the Great Lakes and Northeast could cause delays at local airports. Snow is also expected to cover roadways from the Sierra Nevada to the interior West.
Snow in northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska, will be the heaviest and steadiest Monday night through midday on Tuesday, before the storm shifts eastward into the central Plains: https://t.co/QI5jKskMsu pic.twitter.com/QrvBgrjheu
— AccuWeather (@breakingweather) November 25, 2019
While Thanksgiving Day won’t feature as many travelers hitting the road, those who do plan to travel should be expecting delays, as rain and snow could cause problems from California into the Rockies and Plains. In addition, lingering wind has officials concerned airport delays could be common in the Northeast Thursday.
Winds are forecast to increase around the eastern Great Lakes during Tuesday night and become strong and gusty over much of the Northeast from Wednesday afternoon into #Thanksgiving Day: https://t.co/FzKQRc03QD pic.twitter.com/eCVT3Lf3BK
— AccuWeather (@breakingweather) November 24, 2019
When the holiday is over, travelers will be heading home throughout the weekend, and the weather could still be an issue. On Friday, the storm systems will be moving East, dumping snow and strong winds on the Southwest, Midwest and parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
As for Saturday and Sunday, the storm systems will continue to move eastward and may cause delays in the central and eastern U.S. as travelers make their way back home following the Thanksgiving festivities.
In total, more than 55 million travelers are expected to travel 50 miles or more from their homes for the holiday. This makes it the second-highest Thanksgiving travel volume since AAA began tracking in 2000, behind only the record set in 2005.