Americans brace for delays as storms impact busy Christmas travel days

The National Weather Service Prediction Center forecasts that ‘Christmas Eve will be very wet’ in parts of the central US

Americans are bracing for potential delays this holiday season as storms across parts of the US threaten to impact some of the busiest Christmas travel days.

Over 115.2 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from 23 December through New Year’s Day, according to AAA – amounting to 2.5 million more travellers than this time last year.

And the storms plaguing parts of the US might make this travel more difficult.

The huge storm that struck southern California over the past few days is now heading to the middle of the country where it is expected to combine with another storm to result in a mix of rain in the south and snow in the north, according to AccuWeather.

“Christmas Eve will be very wet” from the central Gulf Coast into the northern Midwestern states, the National Weather Service Prediction Center tweeted.

In the Rockies, more than two feet of snow could be possible by Christmas Eve, according to Fox Weather.

And with the inclement weather comes unfavourable conditions and delays for travellers.

Meteorologists warn that slippery roads are likely in parts of the midwest.

“Unfortunately for a lot of folks that are going to be driving in parts of the Upper Midwest from Duluth to Fargo to Watertown (South Dakota), up and down (Interstate) 29 and 94 towards Bismarck, you could see a couple slick spots on those roads,” said Fox Weather meteorologist Michael Estime.

Floods in Santa Barbara, California, on 20 December 2023 (AP)

Further south, rain rather than snow is expected.

Forecasters say that heavy rainfall could amount to flash floods across states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, including Texas, Alabama and Louisiana, through the holiday weekend, posing yet another risk for travellers.

Even without storms, traffic was already expected to be jam-packed on 23 December, according to INRIX. The same congestion is predicted for 28 December.

Christmas Day is also expected to be snowy for parts of the nation. The National Weather Service predicts heavy winds and “near-blizzard conditions” across the Plains, resulting in “severely restricted visibility” and roads blanketed in snow.

Thousands of flights have been delayed and 66 have been cancelled as of Saturday afternoon, according to FlightAware.

Despite the delays and cancellations, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pointed out earlier this week that “so far 2023 has seen the lowest cancellation rate in the last five years.”

However, he noted that inclement weather “will certainly be a challenge in the next few weeks”.

In an apparent bid to avoid a repeat of last year’s Southwest Airlines’ cancellation catastrophe, the Federal Aviation Administration has created more air travel routes, and has been adding more air traffic controllers.