Snow and rain disrupt holiday travel as storm moves across north-east US
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NEW YORK - A snowstorm in north-eastern United States dumped more than 15cm of snow in some areas by the afternoon of Nov 28, while several feet of lake-effect snow were expected in areas along the Great Lakes over the weekend, making Thanksgiving travel dangerous for drivers.
The storm was moving north from north-eastern Pennsylvania, where some areas north of Interstate 80 got up to 10cm of snow by Nov 28 afternoon.
Snow was also falling in northern New England, and over 30cm of it could pile up in inland Maine and northern New Hampshire, according to the National Weather Service.
“The storm is moving along at a fairly progressive pace,” said meteorologist Scott Kleebauer at the service’s Storm Prediction Centre. “That is one of the positives, at least to limit some of the snowfall over portions of northern New England.”
Up to 15cm of snow was expected across the mid-Atlantic region.
A winter storm warning was in effect until 1am local time on Nov 29 for several counties in upstate New York, including Fulton and western Schenectady counties, and for Bennington and western Windham counties in Vermont. There were snow and ice conditions on northern stretches of Interstates 87 and 90 on Nov 28 afternoon.
The Albany, New York, area, which had an inch of snow by Nov 28 afternoon, was forecast to receive from 7cm to 15cm. To the west, Richmondville, New York, had already received 15cm of accumulation.
Storm conditions could last into the night in New York and southern New England, and begin to dwindle early on Nov 29 around Maine.
A lake-effect snow warning issued by the weather service in Buffalo, New York, was in effect from Nov 29 morning to Dec 2 evening.
A band spanning the Great Lakes, from Michigan to Cleveland to Buffalo, was expected to see an unusual lake-effect snowstorm that would bring a large amount of snow.
“Two to three feet is not out of the question,” said Mr William Churchill, a forecaster at the weather service. “What’s unique about this event is it’s a longer duration – sometimes these events are pretty quick, but this one is going to be all weekend and into next week.”
Most of the major metropolitan areas in the north-east experienced warm enough temperatures to see only rainfall.
“The coastal areas will still have some tough travel, obviously, because of the rainfall,” Mr Kleebauer said. “But in terms of the slicker conditions, the icy conditions involving the snow, those are going to be more confined to more of the interior portions of the north-east.”
Nearly 72 million motorists were expected to travel for Thanksgiving, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). Nov 28’s storm could hamper holiday gatherings.
“Traveling on Thanksgiving Day itself is usually the best because it’s fewer crowds,” Ms Aixa Diaz, a spokesperson for AAA, said on Nov 25. “This year, it’s just going to be terrible weather.”
Ms Diaz said AAA rescued more than 500,000 people over Thanksgiving in 2023. With Nov 28’s inclement weather, she said, conditions “could be rough”.
Most airports in the north-east had few delays and cancellations in the early afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Boston Logan International Airport had 54 delays and John F. Kennedy International Airport had 62 as at 2pm, according to FlightAware data. Delays slowly increased throughout the afternoon.
Ms Diaz warned that delays in one area could affect travellers in other regions.
“With flights, it’s like... a ripple effect,” Ms Diaz said. But she was hopeful that it could be cleared up by Dec 1, which is projected to be the busiest travel day of the week as people return home.
Millions of Americans have already travelled this Thanksgiving week. About 2.7 million travellers went through Transportation Security Administration airport security checkpoints on Nov 27, just below the agency’s expectations from last week. NYTIMES
