400,000+ Without Power In Northeast; Thanksgiving Travel

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Thanksgiving Travel Update
Image Source: The Weather Channel
Thanksgiving Travel Update
Image Source: The Weather Channel

Thanksgiving Travel In Northeast Difficult

Winter Storm Cato made its way through the Eastern U.S., dumping a wintry mix of snow and rain as it rushed up the Eastern Seaboard. At least 400,000 customers were without power Thanksgiving morning, and countless accidents slowed travel for drivers the day before the holiday.

Over a foot of snow fell in parts of the mid-Atlantic region, and Cato dumped high snow totals in parts of New England as well. All that wintry precipitation made for slick, treacherous roads for the estimated 41.3 million people traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, according to AAA estimates.

Traveling has been terrible,” Mike Warner told Truckers Logic. “It’s been snowing for a few days now, roads are closed and we couldn’t get out of here to travel to West Virginia for Thanksgiving. This will be the first Thanksgiving in 14 years that we have to stay home, what can you do.”

Airport delays in the Northeast are also causing major headaches. Over 5,000 flights have been delayed or canceled due to Winter Storm Cato.

The Northeast has been hammered with snow in November, some areas receiving up to 7 feet of snow. Rains and warmer temperatures melted most of the snow earlier this week.

Huge amounts of snow have been reported throughout the Northeast, including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Over 20 inches of snow was reported in Eastern West Virginia, 15 inches in Warrensburg, New York, 15 inches of snow in Western Massachusetts and 16.5 inches of snow in Laconia, New Hampshire.

Airport crews have been working hard to clear airport runways for the holiday rush. Conditions are expected to improve but the damage has been done.

The U.S. airline industry expects 24.6 million passengers to travel on its airlines over the 12-day Thanksgiving period, with Wednesday the second busiest after the migration of travelers home Sunday, according to Airlines for America, the main industry trade group. About 10% of those passengers will fly internationally on U.S. airlines, the group estimated.

Snow continues to fall in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Rain showers will make traveling tough in the Northwest, including Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Northern California. Expect snows in the mountain.