Thanksgiving weather: Travel warnings as winter storm hits central plains

While winter weather may be impacting some states, the East Coast is now enjoying milder weather – and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade has gone ahead as planned in New York City

Related video: LAX Thanksgiving travel rush begins

Thousands of Americans are being urged to travel safely as extreme weather and winter storms continue to impact parts of the US over Thanksgiving holiday.

The National Weather Service said in a post on X on Thursday a significant winter storm will bring heavy snow and hazardous travel to parts of the Northern and Central Rockies as well as into the Central Plains through the holiday weekend.

Snow is forecast to spread over Wyoming on Thursday and travel south through Colorado on Friday, the agency said.

While winter weather may be impacting some states, the East Coast is now enjoying milder weather – and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade has gone ahead as planned in New York City.

This comes after Governor Kathy Hochul of New York warned travelers in the state to be cautious earlier in the week as there was a risk of “extreme winter weather” during peak travel days.

Wednesday had been forecast to be the busiest road travel day for US holiday travelers, with more than 49 million Americans believed to be driving to their destinations during the Thanksgiving stretch that day.

Key Points

• Rockies and Central Plains facing winter storms
• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade goes ahead as planned amid wilder East Coast weather
• FAA warns travelers to ‘be nice'

[22 November 2023 21:30 · Kelly Rissman]

Colorado governor warns of holiday traffic delays

[22 November 2023 22:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Union workers’ rally at LAX has begun

[22 November 2023 22:30 · Kelly Rissman]

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles are expected at LAX

An estimated 103,000 vehicles are expected at the Los Angeles airport on Wednesday, when 223,000 passengers are expected to travel, KABC reported.

On Sunday, when travelers are expected to return, 98,000 vehicles are anticipated to return after Thanksgiving.

[22 November 2023 23:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Something to be thankful for—Thursday’s forecast looks “fairly pleasant,” the National Weather Service says

[22 November 2023 23:37 · Michelle Del Rey]

Travel news after explosion at Niagara Falls

Buffalo Niagara International Airport has reopened to arriving international flights and departures following a car explosion that occurred at the US-Canada border in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, according to the US Department of Transportation.

The airport had been closed to the flights following the incident at Rainbow Bridge, which left two people dead and one border patrol officer injured.

According to authorities, a western New York resident attempted to cross the bridge around 12pm. When a border patrol officer directed the vehicle into a secondary lane for searching, it sped up, went airborne over an 8-foot fence, crashed, caught fire and then exploded.

Three international bridges — The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, The Lewiston–Queenston Bridge, and Peace Bridge — also reopened after officials closed them as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, Amtrak services between New York State and Canada remain temporarily suspended.

During a news conference, New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said there is no active terroristic threat and that she didn’t believe the crash to be motivated by terrorism.

[23 November 2023 00:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Snow expected in Colorado and Wyoming on Thanksgiving

[23 November 2023 02:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Traffic in the Washington, DC area has already piled up, video shows

[23 November 2023 04:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Chicago airports are expected to be jam-packed

The Chicago Department of Aviation said that around 1.65m passengers will be traveling through O’Hare and Midway International Airports between 201 November and 27 November.

“O’Hare and Midway International Airports play a vital role in allowing family, friends, and loved ones from across our nation and all over the world to gather at Thanksgiving dinner tables this week,” CDA Commissioner Jamie L Rhee said. “As the holiday travel season gets underway, the CDA has no higher priority than providing a safe and secure environment for our passengers, employees and the entire aviation community, and we thank our valued airline, federal and law enforcement partners for their extraordinary partnership in this work.”

[23 November 2023 06:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Why is this the busiest travel week in decades?

Lower gas prices and more affordable flights could be contributing to a spike in travellers this year, according to the New York Times.

Today’s national average gas price is $3.281, according to AAA gas prices. That number is down from a year ago, when the national average gas price was $3.636.

The Times reported that the average price for a domestic flight around Thanksgiving was down nine percent from a year ago, according to Hopper data last month.

[23 November 2023 08:00 · Kelly Rissman]

Wyoming will likely have a snowy Thanksgiving

From 2pm Thursday to 5pm Friday, a winter storm warning is in effect for parts of Wyoming, including Lyman and Evanston, the National Weather Service said on Wednesday evening.

The areas could see winds up to 55mph and get snow from four to eight inches.