Parts of the US Midwest and Great Lakes region are bracing for a strong storm this weekend, as an estimated 82 million Americans travel to celebrate Thanksgiving.
There is a possibility of cold, snowfall in some parts of the country and there have already been some delays in travel due to the weather. More than 800 flights were delayed Thursday morning, most of them in northern states.
Although delays were expected, the airports have largely recovered from the government shutdown, during which thousands of federal employees worked without pay, leading to staffing shortages.
According to the National Weather Service’s winter storm watch message, heavy snowfall of between six and 10 inches is expected in parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, starting Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday evening.
The National Weather Service is warning of potentially “hazardous conditions” that could impact travel Friday night.
Temperatures are expected to drop across the northeast of the country, with cold air expected to spread across the eastern half of the U.S. on Thursday, and reach Texas on Friday or Saturday, potentially setting off the storm currently predicted.
Conditions are expected to remain generally warm in most other Southern states, although a storm system is expected near the Mississippi River Valley on Saturday.
In New England, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it expected some rain as well as snow in the Pacific Northwest.
Nearly 82 million people are expected to travel by air and road this Thanksgiving weekend, according to travel forecasts from the American Automobile Association (AAA). The FlightAware website tracked 6,630 delayed US flights on Wednesday.
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