Storm adds uncertainty to strong demand
Concerns about illness or inflation aren’t stopping Americans from hitting the roads and airports this holiday season. But a massive winter storm might.
Forecasters predict an onslaught of heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds from today to Saturday in a broad swath of the country, from the Plains and Midwest to the East Coast. A surge of Arctic air will follow. The Christmas weekend could be the coldest in decades.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday that the storm was so large and encompassing that about 190 million people are currently under some type of winter weather advisory. The Federal Aviation Administration said flight delays due to snow and wind gusts were possible in Minneapolis on Wednesday. High winds could also delay flights in Chicago and Denver.
Delta, American, United, Frontier, Alaska, Southwest and other airlines were waiving change fees and offering travelers the option of choosing new flights to avoid the bad weather.
Airports said they would work hard to stay open. Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports said they have 350 pieces of equipment and 400,000 gallons of pavement de-icing fluid between them to keep runways and taxiways clear.
Bianca Thrasher-Starobin, a consultant and lobbyist in Atlanta, flew into New York on Wednesday morning for an event and planned to fly out the same night.
“I’m trying to get out of this weather. I would have stayed longer, but I just can’t take that chance,” she said as she raced through LaGuardia Airport.
Bus and train travelers were also bracing for cancellations and delays.
Greyhound canceled bus service on 25 routes for Wednesday and today, including service from Las Vegas to Denver, Denver to St. Louis and Chicago to Minneapolis, Memphis and Nashville. And Amtrak has canceled train service from multiple locations, including Seattle, Chicago and New York, over the next several days.
The weather added uncertainty to what was expected to be a busy travel season. Earlier this month, AAA estimated that nearly
113 million people would travel 50 miles from home or more between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. That’s 4% higher than last year, although still short of the record 119 million in 2019.
Most planned to travel by car. About 6% will travel by air, AAA said. Either way, many travelers found themselves hastily changing their itineraries.
Authorities across the country are worried about the potential for power outages and warned people to take precautions to protect the elderly, the homeless and livestock — and, if possible, to postpone travel.
“If you don’t have to be out driving, especially on Friday, we ask that you don’t be out there,” said Ron Brundidge, Detroit’s public works director. Brundidge said 50 trucks will be out salting major roads on around-the-clock shifts once expected rain turns to snow Friday.