Major winter storm on track to impact post-Thanksgiving travel for millions across U.S.

Snow and cold temperatures have already greeted some Thanksgiving travelers and many more could arrive this holiday weekend, with winter storm warnings Saturday across much of the northern part of the country.

A major winter storm will produce snow and gusty winds across the Midwest through the Western Great Lakes, the National Weather Service said. The storm is expected to bring snow and cold, peaking Saturday and tapering off Sunday morning. More than a foot of snow is expected in parts of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.

“Anyone shopping for Black Friday in these areas, from Cleveland to upstate New York and even New England, will face some problems on the roads,” said Andrew Kozak, a CBS News meteorologist in Philadelphia. Up to 42 million people could be affected by the storm, he said, as the system moves across the northern Plains.

More than 81.8 million people are predicted to travel 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving holiday, AAA said. The Transportation Security Administration said the agency plans to screen more than 3 million travelers on Sunday. Adam Stahl, the top official serving as TSA deputy administrator, said in a statement: “We anticipate that the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be one of the busiest travel days in TSA history.”

Chicago — a huge travel hub — could see between 8 and 12 inches of snow, or more, Kozak said. This could have a domino effect on major airports. Heavy snowfall is forecast on Saturday, he said.

Airlines for America, the trade association for major U.S. airlines, predicted that carriers would carry a record 31 million passengers between last Friday and next Monday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the TSA is back to its pre-government shutdown staffing levels. the longest in U.S. history, leading to a reduction in theft.

So far, the forecast conditions don’t meet the criteria for a blizzard warning, meteorologists said: winds of at least 35 mph, visibilities less than a quarter mile and lasting more than three hours.

A storm has already brought snow to parts of the northern Plains states and the Great Lakes region. Snowfall totals of at least a foot were expected by the end of the storm, particularly downwind of Lake Superior in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula and downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario, the weather service said. Parts of central New York could see 12 inches of snow. Gusty winds could lead to periods of blowing snow and hazardous travel conditions after Thanksgiving, the weather service said. Below average and cool temperatures are expected to affect most of the eastern and central United States.

Snow squalls brought rapid bursts of heavy snow and dangerous whiteout conditions for driving were possible throughout the interior Northeast, the weather service said. By Saturday, snow will decrease in the Rocky Mountains and northern Plains, but continue into the Midwest.

Snowy Thanksgiving weather caused a number of vehicle accidents in West Michigan.

To the south, storms – some violent – ​​are forecast, with flash flooding possible Saturday on the western Gulf Coast.