During the post-Thanksgiving travel rush, more than 2,500 flights into or out of U.S. airports were delayed as of late Sunday morning. This was due to severe weather that included rain, strong winds, and snow that swept through major cities.
This Thanksgiving weekend, about 55 million people were anticipated to travel 50 miles or more from their homes, which, according to AAA, is “a 1.5% increase over 2021 and 98% of pre-pandemic volumes,” 63 U.S. flights had been cancelled, in addition to the 2,564 flights that had been delayed as of 2:30 p.m. ET, reports FlightAware.com.
Around 14 million people in the Ohio Valley and Southeast, including Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; and Asheville, North Carolina, were under wind advisories on Sunday.
In Kentucky, a wind gust of 53 mph was recorded early on Sunday. This afternoon, winds will gust between 25 and 35 mph.
The Southeast, mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes areas were pummeled by rain on Sunday morning, posing a travel risk for cities including Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Northeast will continue to experience rain, with New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C. experiencing the heaviest rainfall early to midday Sunday.
The majority of the Northeast’s rain will finish by late afternoon or early evening, but isolated showers might continue into Monday morning in some areas of New England, where some rain could turn to snow in northern Maine.
The eastern section of the country will receive storm totals of 0.5 to 1.25 inches of rain.
Winter weather and storm alerts are in effect from Washington to Colorado, and another developing storm system has continued to bring heavy rain and mountain snow to the Pacific Northwest this weekend.
The Cascades and northern Rockies will experience the heaviest snowfall on Sunday, with total accumulations typically ranging from 2 to 7 inches. However, higher elevations and mountain passes may experience accumulations of 15 inches or more. Additionally, there will be a significant amount of wind, with potential gusts of up to 65 mph, which will drastically impair visibility and make travel dangerous.
On Monday, this system’s snow will dip south and affect Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado. According to the weather service, snowfall totals will range from 6 to 12 inches, with localized greater amounts likely in the higher altitudes. To begin the week, wind gusts in this area will continue to be strong, with gusts averaging between 30 and 50 mph.
Looking forward, the Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley may experience an increased chance of severe weather on Tuesday due to this storm system.