The millions of Americans travelling for the holiday weekend could meet flooding, sleet, snow and bitterly cold temperatures descending across the country.
Wet and wintry conditions are expected from Tennessee to Montana and up to Maine – and parts of the Northeast and Northern Plains have already had more than a foot of snow fall.
Roughly 2.7million Americans are flying to their holiday destinations on Friday ahead of the weekend.
And there will be millions more driving to visit friends and family over the holiday weekend, with more than 97million expected to take to the roads over the next week.
In total a record number of more than 107million people will pack into airports, railways and roads over the holiday weekend.
The millions of Americans travelling for the holiday weekend could meet flooding, sleet, snow and bitterly cold temperatures descending across the country. Interstates 90 and 94 are pictured late Thursday night as holiday travel started around the country
Wet and wintry conditions are expected from Tennessee to Montana and up to Maine – and parts of the Northeast and Northern Plains have already had more than a foot of snow fall
Roughly 2.7million Americans are flying to their holiday destinations on Friday ahead of the weekend. And there will be millions more driving to visit friends and family over the holiday weekend, with more than 97million expected to take to the roads over the next week. Pictured are travelers at O’Hare International airport Thursday night
Many will meet treacherous road conditions with rain forecasted to fall around the country for the majority of the condition.
Slick roads will likely cause car crashes and huge delays from coast to coast.
There have already been a number of crashes and spin-offs in New England and parts of the west, and road conditions will likely worsen as the weekend continues.
Parts of New England are already blanketed in snow which will continue to fall throughout Friday and into early Saturday.
The snow will then turn to rain over top, and blasts of freezing air will likely cause everything to ice over.
Upstate New York already has more than a foot of snow – and the temperatures there and through the Northern Plains will continue to drop over the weekend, reaching the single digits by Christmas morning.
Between four and eight additional inches are expected to fall over the holiday weekend from Buffalo up through New England.
Further west freezing rain is already falling on Pennsylvania, and there are thunderstorms predicted from Dallas through Memphis.
Snow is expected to fall in parts of the Northeast and Northern Plains on Friday night and into Saturday. Later on Saturday it is expected to turn into rain, which will fall around the country and likely turn into ice in some areas
Winter weather advisories and storm warnings were posted by the National Weather service between the Great Basin and Rockies to northern New England for the upcoming weekend
Minnesota has light snow falling and coating the highways – which has caused a number of spinoffs for travelers looking to get an early start on their holiday weekend. Other parts of the upper Midwest have also had a few inches of snowfall.
Freezing temperatures and rain could also target areas down into the central and southern Appalachians and the Interstate 95 corridor, according to Accuweather forecasts.
Rain across the country mixed with freezing temperatures has caused roads to ice over around the country, and will likely cause power lines to freeze in some areas.
Light rain, fog and heavy clouds could cause delays in southern states such as Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee on Friday and Saturday.
Winter weather advisories and storm warnings were posted by the National Weather Service on Thursday for areas from the Great Basin and Rockies to northern New England for the upcoming weekend, according to the Weather Channel.
