Severe Weather Impacts US Thanksgiving Travel Amid Record Passenger Numbers

Various regions of the United States are confronting a “significant Arctic outbreak” during the Thanksgiving holiday, a period that includes some of the nation’s busiest travel days of the year. The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts “dangerously cold wind chills” across the northern Plains on Thursday, with temperatures potentially reaching -40C (-40F) in North Dakota through Saturday. Concurrently, heavy snowfall is possible in sections of the north-east, including New England, until Friday morning, while the East Coast is projected to experience thunderstorms. These harsh weather conditions coincide with a week anticipated to establish new records for Thanksgiving travel. FlightAware, a tracking website, reported over a thousand flight delays and 55 cancellations on Thursday. By Friday, stormy weather is predicted to move into the Midwest, bringing lake-effect snow and severe thunderstorms. Lake-effect snow forms when cold air travels over unfrozen, relatively warm bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes, leading to rising air that creates snow-producing clouds. The NWS indicates that certain areas could receive as much as 8in (20cm) of snow. Reports of flight disruptions emerged as travelers embarked on their holiday trips. FlightAware recorded over 4,500 delays for flights within, into, or out of the US on Wednesday, alongside 61 cancellations. The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has stated that passenger volumes for this year’s Thanksgiving period have already achieved unprecedented levels. Tuesday and Wednesday, preceding Thanksgiving, along with the Sunday following the holiday, were projected to be the busiest travel days. The TSA anticipates screening almost nine million individuals at airports solely during these three days. Furthermore, a record total of nearly 80 million Americans were expected to travel at least 50 miles (80km) by car throughout the week. According to insurance company AAA, this projected rise was attributed to gasoline prices being lower compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, on the western side of the nation, dense fog warnings were issued for Thursday across the Pacific north-west and California, with freezing fog also expected for Oregon and portions of Washington state, as reported by BBC forecaster Elizabeth Rizzini. Earlier in the week, a winter storm delivered heavy snow and strong winds to higher elevations in the west. Central California experienced another “atmospheric river” event on Tuesday, following a similar occurrence the previous week. This weather phenomenon involves water evaporating into the atmosphere and being transported by wind currents. Communities in the Pacific north-west are still in the process of recovering from last week’s bomb cyclone, an intense weather event characterized by a rapid drop in air pressure off the coast. That storm resulted in widespread flooding and electricity outages.