Clear weather will allow 51million Americans to travel home for Thanksgiving on Wednesday and Thursday in the largest rush of holiday travel for 12 years.
On Thursday, conditions will be dry in most of the country, allowing for fewer disruptions to rail, air and road traffic than had been expected.
It slightly eases the annual headache of holiday travel but TSA agents, who are scrambling to make up for shocking security failures in a recent investigation, will add to it.
Wait times at security in airports is likely to increase as a result of the added measures. Officials have not said by how much they are likely to go up.
On the West Coast, there will be record high temperatures in some parts.
Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego can expect heat in the mid 70s and low 80s on Thursday afternoon.
It will be a predictably colder day on the East Coast, where some snow has already been seen. In New York City, where officials are already preparing for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, icy 20F winds are expected.
In New York City on Wednesday, NYPD officers stand guard as the floats for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are inflated
Some of the famous floats were inflated on Wednesday afternoon near 77th Street and Central Park West, where the parade will begin
A man puts a final touch on one of the large floats in preparation for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Wednesday
Macy’s workers work to inflate one of the large floats ahead of the Thanksgiving Day Parade
The temperature will remain in the low to mid 40s and will be sunny but partly cloudy.
Heavy rain blanketed the Northeast on Wednesday and unleashed some light snow in parts of New York and Pennsylvania.
The only severe weather on Thursday is expected in the Northwest.
In Seattle, between two and five inches was expected to fall by Wednesday night and the clouds show no sign of clearing. There is a flood watch in place until Thursday 4pm.
Forecasters say another three inches is likely before the downpours will stop. There has been heavy rain in the region for most of the week which increases the chances of flooding.
In New York City on Wednesday, performers began setting up for the Macy’s Parade which will take place between 9am and 12pm on Thursday.
The parade will begin at 77th Street & Central Park West at 9am and move down towards Columbus Circle when it will turn east and move on to Broadway.
Gwen Stefani was seen rehearsing on Wednesday as the famous parade floats were inflated in front of beady-eyed NYPD officers.
Singer Gwen Stefani rehearses White Christmas at the Bryant Park ice skating rink ahead of Thursday’s performance
Stefani, shown above rehearsing in the festive outfit she will wear on Thursday, is one of several performers on the day
The parade – which will be broadcast across the country on NBC – will begin with a dance performance.
Today’s Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker will host the festivities and introduce performers including Stefani, who will sing White Christmas at the Bryant Park Ice Rink.
A host of country stars including Lauren Alaina (on the Green Giant float), Cam (Domino Sugar), Sara Evans (Entenmann’s) and Dustin Lynch will also perform elsewhere as will pop stars Flo Rida, Goo Goo Dolls, Wyclef Jean, and Smokey Robinson.
It is the 91st Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The weather will be dry and mild across most of the country with rain affecting the northwest, particularly Seattle
A rain and snow storm which was on the Northwest coast on Wednesday will move away by Thursday, leaving just clouds above Seattle
It will be warm on the West Coast where temperatures will reach 81 degrees in parts. In New York, it will remain in the mid 40s
On Wednesday, airports around the country showed the normal signs of holiday travel. There were snaking queues beginning to form at security checks but, with the afternoon and evening still ahead, no major chaos had yet disrupted.
It will be worsened by the increased wait times described by TSA officials.
The increased security is the result of a damning investigation earlier this year which found that TSA gents failed between 70 and 80 percent of covert tests.
The shocking figures were released as part of an audit on September 27th. Terrifyingly, they mark a decrease from the 90 percent of test-runs agents failed the previous year.
The covert tests included fake explosives, guns and other banned items slipping through airport security checkpoints.
At airports across the country, travelers were on their way home for the holidays. Above, Judy Izzie checks in for her flight in Atlanta, Georgia, in a patriotic outfit
Washington: There was none of the usual holiday travel chaos at Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport on Wednesday as passengers boarded flights
Washington: Most of the flights were scheduled on time out of Ronald Reagan Airport on Wednesday afternoon
There were long queues at security however as TSA agents put to use increased security measures before waving passengers through
TSA has implemented increased security measures at airports – though it’s not clear what they are – which they say will increase wait times. Above, passengers at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington on Wednesday
At New York’s LaGuardia Airport, a TSA agent goes through a passenger’s bag before allowing them through to the departure gate
Families on the move at LaGuardia Airport in New York which remained under control on Wednesday afternoon
CRISIS WEARS ON IN HURRICANE-HIT PUERTO RICO
The damage continues in Puerto Rico where residents are still reeling from the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in September (shown above, a resident of San Juan after the hurricane)
Sixty-percent of Puerto Rico remains without electricity and many are still getting by without running water nearly two months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
But despite their ongoing strife, its residents are determined to celebrate Thanksgiving.
‘Honestly, at first I wasn’t going to do anything because I felt like I didn’t have the spirit in me to do it, but you know how Puerto Ricans are. ‘We are fiesteros (partiers) no matter what,’ one resident told NBC.
Many will travel to relatives homes.
‘The luckier residents whose power has been restored will play host and, with no street lights working reliably and without the familiar road network, their guests will have to return home before it is dark.
Local efforts to give food to needy residents are in place.
Celebrity chef Jose Andres, whose charity The World Kitchen has been in Puerto Rico since September providing much needed meals, will distribute Thanksgiving dinner to 40,000 people.
While major cities across the country celebrate, Puerto Ricans who are still reeling from the devastation brought by Hurricane Maria are determined to share in the festive spirit.
‘Honestly, at first I wasn’t going to do anything because I felt like I didn’t have the spirit in me to do it, but you know how Puerto Ricans are.
‘We are fiesteros (partiers) no matter what,’ resident Elba Longo told NBC.
Sixty percent of the island is still without electricity as a result of the brutal hurricane in September but its residents are determined to push on in spite of the destruction.
‘One of the things we all agreed on is that we’re going to make the best of it,’ Longo added.
The clear weather clears the way for the estimated 51million people traveling around the country, the highest volume of travellers since 2005.
According to the American Automobile Association and INRIX, a travel analytics company, it could see travel times on the road increased by three times their normal length.
Philadelphia: Bus passengers wait in line before heading out of the city on Wednesday
At the 30th Street bus station in Philadelphia, passengers wait in line to board buses home
A woman in festive leggings waits to board a bus at the 30th Street station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday
On Wednesday, there was growing traffic on the Lincoln Tunnel helix (above) in New Jersey with the New York City skyline in the background
Aerial footage of the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles – a highway that is clogged during rush hour on normal days – shows bumper-to-bumper traffic for miles
‘Thanksgiving kicks off the start of a busy holiday season, and more thankful Americans will travel to spend time with friends and family this year.
‘A strong economy and labor market are generating rising incomes and higher consumer confidence, fueling a strong year for the travel industry, which will continue into the holiday season,’ said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, Travel and Publishing, said.
The exodus began in Los Angeles on Monday where millions jammed on to road to try to get out of town. Their attempted headstart backfired and created gridlock traffic on the notoriously congested roads.
On the 405, traffic was backed up for miles on Tuesday night. The worst times to be on the road have all but passed.
Texas and Georgia will still see some heavy traffic on Wednesday evening as most people prepare to go home. There were similar scenes in the Lincoln Tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan.