Weather Impacting Busiest Thanksgiving Travel Days in 20 Years

Traveling home or away for the Thanksgiving holiday? Be prepared for delays, as a storm system has swept across the United States, impacting one of the busiest travel holiday seasons in 20 years.

CNN reports that one part of the country will have to deal with adverse weather. A strengthening winter storm will bring snow to a wide swath of the Rockies Thursday night and Friday. Parts of the Denver area may get 1 to 3 inches of snow by Friday morning. It will be a similar wintry scene in Salt Lake City.

A strong storm system pushed across the eastern portion of the United States on Tuesday, impacting travelers who tried to beat the holiday rush. Widespread wind and rain made getting around difficult from Tennessee to New York City. However, the rain won’t dampen those areas on Thanksgiving Day, which appear to be dry.

The weather impacted travel for many who were trying to visit loved ones during this busy travel time. Already, over 1,000 flights have been delayed, according to the tracking site FlightAware, though less than 50 have been canceled so far.

This weather pattern is on top of AAA’s report that 55.4 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over Thanksgiving. This number is an increase of 2.3% compared to last year.

Hitting the roads could ease the financial burden for those looking to find a cheaper way to reach their destinations. “As millions of Americans gear up to hit the road for Thanksgiving, the national [fuel] average is seeing its longest streak of declines in over a year,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told The New York Times.

AAA expects 4.7 million people to take to the skies to reach their Thanksgiving destinations. Compared to 2022’s data, 2023 travelers show an increase of 6.6%.

However, traveling by air does come with a time cost. Those at airports on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving will likely face long TSA lines, delays, and sold-out flights. These travel days are the busiest ahead of the holiday and, financially, hit travelers’ wallets harder as ticket prices historically increase during peak travel times. As for returning home from a destination, travelers find Sunday the busiest day at the airport, followed by Monday, as they head home for work and school.

“The day before Thanksgiving is notoriously one of the most congested days on our roadways,” Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a statement to AAA. “Travelers should be prepared for long delays, especially in and around major metros. Knowing when and where congestion will build can help minimize holiday traffic frustrations. We advise drivers to use traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services for real-time updates.”