Storms over both the weastern and southern United States could threaten flight delays as millions of holiday travelers prepare to close out the year.
On what is expected to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, another round of severe thunderstorms is expected to hit the South on Saturday with strong tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail from Louisiana to Alabama, according to the National Weather Service. Elsewhere in the country, a series of Pacific storm systems will continue to impact the West this weekend with periods of high winds, low-altitude rain and heavy mountain snow, the weather service said.
After nearly 800 flights within, to or from the US were canceled on Thursday, more than 60 have already been canceled for Friday, according to the flight tracking website Flight conscious.
On Friday – one of the seasons top three busiest travel days – the Storm Prediction Center is warning of some strong to locally severe thunderstorms for portions of the central Gulf Coast, including parts of Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle and central Mississippi and Alabama. Large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes are possible.
The severe weather threat level will increase from north-central Louisiana to west-central Alabama on Saturday.
“We are increasingly concerned that there will be many storms on Saturday with a severe weather threat,” said Weather Service meteorologist Evan Bentley. said. “Because it’s a pretty active time of year for leisure travel, we want to make sure that anyone who is in or traveling through that corridor is aware of the weather threat.”
Thursday brought stormy weather to the South, with some storm damage and possible tornado sightings reported in parts of Texas and Louisiana.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated the state’s emergency response efforts Thursday to prepare for the severe weather conditions, he announced on X.
“As Texans and out-of-state visitors begin traveling after the Christmas holidays, it is critical that everyone regularly monitor road conditions, make a contingency plan, and heed guidance from state and local officials” , Abbott said in a press release.
Travelers’ plans were also thwarted in New Jersey, where a gaping sinkhole opened up along Interstate 80 in Wharton, prompting the state’s transportation department to closes the eastbound highway for emergency sinkhole repairs.
Crews are working near a sinkhole that opened along Interstate 80 near Wharton, New Jersey on December 26. – WABC-TV/AP
Severe weather is rumbling across the US as record numbers of travelers are expected to leave in 2024, according to AAA. The association expects that 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home between December 21 and January 1. That is 3 million more travelers than in the same period last year.
The Transportation Security Administration says it expects to screen nearly 40 million people from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2 — a 6% increase over last year. The busiest travel days include the TSA on Friday and Monday said.
While a large portion of Thursday’s U.S. flight cancellations were to or from Dallas-Fort Worth, the line of storms could hit the East Coast by Sunday and potentially lead to additional delays in other parts of the country for those heading home after the holidays to travel.
Meanwhile, an active weather pattern on the West Coast is bringing rounds of coastal rain, gusty winds, mountain snowfall and dangerous waves across the region as vacationers head home this weekend.
Storm leaves some damage in Texas
The Wharton County Sheriff’s Office in Texas said it appears three tornadoes touched down in the county, with damage to multiple buildings near the city of El Campo reported Thursday.
One of the possible tornadoes touched down near Highway 59 and damaged some barns, the Wharton County Office of Emergency Management said on Facebook.
Reid Strnadel, who helps run a farm and ranch that has been in his family for 80 years, told CNN affiliate KHOU, a tornado blew up one of the family’s barns, sending chunks of sheet metal and wood flying hundreds of feet.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Strnadel said. “I’ve never seen a tornado before… hurricanes are the only thing we really see here.”
It also knocked out a wall of one of their barns and lifted the roof of another, setting in motion a boat that Strnadel had stored inside, he told KHOU.
But Stradnel said, “It could have been worse,” as both his family and livestock were unharmed by the tornado.
Elsewhere in Texas, a Harris County home was damaged and a United States Postal Service truck was overturned during the storm on Thursday, KHOU reported. And in Liberty County a big tree fell and crashed in the home of an elderly couple.
Heavy thunderstorms will hit the south this weekend
Humid travel conditions will continue Friday, with rain expected to extend from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast on Friday. Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees warmer than normal for the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes.
After a marginal risk of severe storms in the south on Friday, the threat is expected to increase again on Saturday. Damaging winds, hail and tornadoes are likely in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Saturday, the weather service said.
Vehicles travel along a rain-soaked highway in Dallas, Texas, on December 26. – L.M. Otero/AP
A Level 3 of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms was issued Saturday from north-central Louisiana across much of central Mississippi into far west-central Alabama, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
“It appears all weather conditions and hazards are possible, including large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes, as storms develop steadily from east to northeast Saturday afternoon and Saturday night,” the center warned.
Cities most at risk include Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi. Cities like Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, Birmingham and Montgomery all have a lower chance of storms on Saturday.
As for Sunday, at least some severe weather risk is expected in the Southeast, although the risk is expected to subside early next week, according to the weather service. Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia are most threatened by severe storms on Sunday.
Rain and snow continue to pelt the west coast
A stormy pattern will continue to impact the western US through the weekend. Mountain snow, coastal and low-lying rain and windy conditions will affect the northwest into the northern Rockies on Friday and this weekend.
High wind warnings are in effect in the lower Northwest, Northern California and parts of the Rockies, where winds of 60 to 100 km per hour and isolated gusts of more than 120 km per hour are expected.
“Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Large-scale power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles,” the National Weather Service warned.
The winds are causing high waves across most of the west coast, where a series of high surf and coastal flooding warnings are in force.
Winter weather warnings are in effect for parts of the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada and the Rockies as rain showers continue to impact the West. Snowfall of 6 to 7 inches and wind gusts possibly exceeding 75 miles per hour could reduce visibility, make travel nearly impossible and cause damage to trees and power lines.
The next in a series of atmospheric, river-driven storms is expected to bring another round of coastal and valley rains, mountain snowfall, gusty winds and high surf to the west on Friday, while other storms could potentially impact the region.
By the end of the weekend, precipitation totals of 3 to 5 inches, with isolated totals of more than 10 inches, are likely to fall through the lower portions of the Washington and Oregon Cascades and California’s northwestern coastal mountains to the northern Sierra, while in total snowfall will be from 1 to 10 inches. 3 feet is likely at the highest points of the Northwest. Wet weather in the Northwest could also lead to river flooding and mudslides, the weather service said warned.
CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.
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