A severe storm currently hitting California’s Sierra Nevada mountains with heavy snowfall is projected to move toward the Colorado Rockies, potentially impacting the Appalachians by Thanksgiving Day. This could lead to challenging travel conditions for millions of Americans traveling for the holiday weekend.

Denver, a key travel center, is expected to receive a few inches of snow on Wednesday, which could result in flight delays and hinder travel along Interstate 25, 70, and 80, according to AccuWeather’s forecast. The storm is then expected to move further east. AccuWeather Meteorologist Bernie Rayno mentioned that factors influencing the storm’s path and precipitation type were still in play on Tuesday.

“The storm’s track and strength will significantly affect the rain and snow line, as well as how much snow falls in the Midwest and Northeast,” Rayno explained.

Regardless of the storm’s development, significant rain and snow could hamper travel for tens of millions, according to Rayno.

Updates:

∎ Cold weather will likely worsen the situation. By Saturday morning, around 196 million people in the U.S. will experience temperatures below freezing, as reported by Weather.com.

∎ Many locations will see temperatures comparable to what is typical in mid-January over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Record travel expected this holiday season

Weather conditions will be critical during this busy travel week, with AAA forecasting that 79.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home for Thanksgiving between Tuesday and Monday, Dec. 2. This figure reflects an increase of 1.7 million compared to last year and a rise of 2 million since 2019.

Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel, stated that she anticipates setting new records for all types of travel, including road trips, flights, and cruises.

The Transportation Security Administration expects this Thanksgiving period to be the busiest ever, projecting that its agents will screen 18.3 million travelers from Tuesday through Dec. 2. TSA Administrator David Pekoske noted that the ten busiest travel days in the TSA’s history have all occurred in 2024, and he expects this trend to continue.

Rockies to welcome holiday with up to 4 feet of snow

Significant snow accumulation of 1 to 2 feet is expected in the Colorado Rockies and surrounding areas this week, with some regions likely to receive up to 4 feet of snowfall as a cyclone moves inland. The peak of the snowfall is anticipated between Tuesday and Wednesday, particularly affecting higher elevation areas above 9,500 feet, according to the Boulder weather service. Winter weather advisories will be issued starting Tuesday night for the Palmer Divide ridge and southern foothills of Colorado.

In the Denver metro area and the Palmer Divide, rain is forecasted to either change to or be accompanied by snow early Tuesday, according to the weather service.

− Anthony Robledo