Recent days have seen storms of varying intensity sweeping across both the East and West coasts of the United States, bringing harsh weather conditions such as blizzards, freezing temperatures, heavy rain, and even tornadoes, causing inconvenience for holiday travel.
On Monday morning, millions of Americans began their journey home after the Christmas holiday, receiving alerts for blizzard warnings and flight delays or cancellations along the way.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), Monday marked one of the busiest travel peaks of the year, with a record number of travelers hitting the roads. It is estimated that during the 13-day end-of-year holiday period from December 20 to January 1, a total of 122.4 million Americans will be traveling, a 2.2% increase from 2024, with each trip covering a distance of at least 50 miles.
As many people wrap up their holiday travels and head back home, airports and highways across the United States are experiencing heavy crowding. The cold winter weather only adds to the stress of traveling.
Blizzards and strong winds are disrupting traffic across the country. Snow accumulation, icy conditions, and high winds are making it difficult for over 109 million drivers and 8 million air travelers to reach their destinations.
Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that as of Monday morning, over 800 flights were delayed and 300 flights were canceled. On Sunday, due to the storms hitting major transportation corridors, over 5,000 flights were delayed and more than 500 flights were canceled in the United States.
The Midwest is particularly hard hit, with blizzards sweeping through the region, leading to hundreds of flight delays, including at major aviation hubs such as Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, and dozens of flights being canceled.
As of Monday morning, some areas in Minnesota and Wisconsin are still under blizzard warnings, with gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour and snowfall reaching up to 8 inches (about 20 centimeters) in some regions. Many cities in the area have declared a state of emergency due to the blizzard conditions, with parts of Wisconsin plunged into darkness due to power outages. Further east, parts of the Northeast are facing snowfall and freezing rain.
On Sunday, tornado warnings were issued in parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. Airlines and airports are urging passengers to regularly check their flight statuses, allow extra travel time, and have contingency plans in place.
(This article referenced reporting from “The Hill”)