Post-Thanksgiving travel faces delays as snowstorm sweeps across US

Millions of Thanksgiving travelers could see their journey home turn into a nightmare as a massive winter storm blankets half the US with snow for several days.

New forecast models have revealed that 23 states are in the path of a fast-moving winter storm bringing widespread blizzard conditions to the Midwest, followed by a prolonged lake-effect snow system around the Great Lakes and Northeast.

The storm has been building in the Central US since Wednesday and meteorologists have warned the worst is expected to last from today until Sunday, with more than a dozen states seeing snow continue until early next week.

This winter blast could dump several inches to three feet of snow in certain states, making post-Thanksgiving travel dangerous, causing slick roads, whiteouts, and hours-long airport delays from Black Friday until at least Tuesday.

AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco warned: ‘Some highways may close due to the heavy snowfall rate and perhaps chain-reaction accidents.’  

The initial winter storm is expected to move from the Midwest eastward through Saturday, bringing snow and widespread travel delays to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and the Dakotas.

Portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan could see up to 12 inches of snow by Sunday, with AccuWeather warning that those totals could reach 18 inches in the worst-case scenarios.

Then, the lake-effect phase of the storm begins over the holiday weekend around the Great Lakes, with heavy bands stretching into the Northeast and New England as cold air from Canada and moisture from the Gulf Coast collide.

Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are predicted to see up to six inches of snow between Monday and Tuesday.

Meteorologists said this holiday snowstorm is acting like a speedy low-pressure system, often called a clipper, which formed over the the Plains and Rockies.

It’s pulling in cold air down from Canada and moisture up from the Gulf, which has collided in the middle of the US to form a mix of rain and snow in the South, and heavy snow everywhere north of Missouri.

This first part of the storm arrives over the Great Lakes around Michigan this weekend, and meteorologists said it will morph into a lake-effect storm system because of the Great Lakes’ ability to hold heat in the water.

The warm moisture from the lakes, combined with the cold air continuing to flow across the US will cause the storm to pump out large amounts of snow throughout the region, lingering in the Midwest for days while also leaking into the Northeast.

Forecasters urged drivers planning to travel on Interstates 75, 79, 80, 81, 86, 90, and 196 to keep track of lake-effect and snow squall warnings.

Drivers will also need to be prepared for sudden changes in road conditions during the storm and the possibility of stopping their trips if visibility drops.

The lake-effect portion of the storm this weekend could bring up to 36 inches of snow to parts of northern Michigan, northwestern Pennsylvania, and western New York, meteorologists explained.

Director of forecasting operations Carl Erickson later said: ‘The period from Saturday to Saturday night is likely to be the worst for travel, considering that the snowstorm will be in progress over such a large area.’

AccuWeather supervisor of forecasting operations Alyson Hoegg added: ‘Downtown Cleveland is expected to experience heavy lake snow with enough to shovel and plow.’

AccuWeather vice president of forecast operations Dan DePodwin noted: ‘This will be the most widespread lake-effect snow event of the season so far.’

The National Weather Service has already issued winter storm warnings in Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, southern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, and northern Illinois on Friday.

This weekend’s winter blast has the potential to ground thousands of flights across the US, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) likely to issue ground stops if snow and ice begins to build up on runways.

On Wednesday, 6,667 flights entering or leaving the US were delayed. Nearly 900 of those delays took place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport because of lake-effect snow hammering the upper Midwest all week. 

For travelers along the East Coast this weekend, AccuWeather warned rain and fog on Sunday will likely impact drivers along I-95, in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.

Boston, New York, and Philadelphia could also see snow and ice early next week, prolonging the post-Thanksgiving travel delays even further.