Thanksgiving Travelers Face a Wild Mix of Snow, Rain and Strong Winds
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s becoming clear that the weather isn’t exactly planning to cooperate. A huge part of the country is being hit with everything from heavy snow and blizzard conditions to gusty winds, rain, thunderstorms and even patches of ice. So if anyone is traveling—whether by car or by plane—this week, a good dose of patience is definitely going to be required.
Across the Midwest and Great Lakes, winter weather has settled in fast. Lake-effect snow has already been producing whiteout conditions from Cleveland to Buffalo, and stretches of interstates like I-90, I-81 and portions of Michigan highways are being affected. Visibility has been dropping rapidly thanks to bursts of heavy snow combined with winds that have been gusting above 30 mph. In southeast Michigan alone, up to an inch of snow fell Wednesday night, but the bigger concern was the wind, which helped create brief but intense visibility drops. Some untreated roads have already turned icy as temperatures dipped below freezing.
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These conditions are only part of a much larger system. Blizzard warnings are in effect across northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where as much as 18 inches to 3 feet of snow could accumulate by Thanksgiving morning. Residents in those areas have been urged to avoid traveling entirely unless it’s an emergency. Strong winds—some reaching 55 to 60 mph—are stretching across states from the Plains to the Great Lakes, affecting major cities like Chicago and Detroit. These winds alone could delay flights, slow commutes and make driving hazardous, even without heavy precipitation.
Farther south and east, the story shifts to rain and thunderstorms. Cities along the I-95 corridor are dealing with soggy weather, though conditions are expected to clear by Thanksgiving Day itself. The South is facing storms capable of producing heavy rainfall, and because some regions are already saturated, even a modest downpour could cause flash flooding.
Air travel is feeling the strain nationwide. Thousands of flights have already been delayed, and major hubs such as Chicago O’Hare, Minneapolis–St. Paul and even Atlanta have had ground stops or slowdowns. Airlines have been preparing for months, but this type of volatile weather can overwhelm even the best plans. With over 70 million people expected to travel by car and millions more flying, backups are almost unavoidable.
The good news is that Thanksgiving Day should bring calmer weather for most of the country, aside from lingering snow in the Great Lakes and scattered showers in the Northwest. But until then, travelers everywhere are being reminded to stay alert, leave early when possible, and prepare for a holiday journey that might take a bit longer than expected.
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