Christmas storm to cause Eastern U.S. travel troubles, but not quite panic-worthy
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Version 0 of 1. It seems travelers are snakebit this holiday season. First we saw a sprawling winter storm disrupt East Coast travel the day before Thanksgiving. And now we have a potent storm set to complicate travel across the eastern third of the nation heading into Christmas. The good news is there’s not much snow expected with the approaching storm, which should feature mainly rain and wind. The setup sees low pressure developing along the Gulf Coast Tuesday into Tuesday night, then surging north toward the Great Lakes on Wednesday (Christmas Eve) as it intensifies into what some have dubbed Santabomb. In the process, rain and mild air across much of the Southeast U.S. and Midwest Tuesday into Tuesday night spread into the Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday. By Thursday morning the precipitation portion of the storm should be mostly over with the exception of New England. But whipping winds make for a gusty Christmas Day across much of the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Northeast. While the forecast details are still subject to change, here’s a breakdown of what to expect if you are traveling to, from, or within different parts of the Eastern U.S. Midwest The Midwest sees an initial period of showers Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, with the heaviest likely to be from Illinois north into Wisconsin. More showers are then likely on Tuesday night and Wednesday across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. On the back side of the storm system, some accumulating snow is possible Wednesday into Thursday morning in eastern Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. At the moment little or no snow accumulation is expected, but those with travel interests in these areas should stay tuned to local forecasts for updates. Southeast After some scattered showers Monday into Monday night, areas of moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms develop late Tuesday morning into Tuesday afternoon along the Gulf Coast, especially from New Orleans east to around Tallahassee and also northward across much of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. The rains last through much of Tuesday night before focusing mainly on Georgia, South Carolina and the west coast of Florida on Wednesday. Some storms could be severe across southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southwest Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, as states the Storm Prediction Center: “THE PRIMARY THREATS WILL BE ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND A COUPLE OF TORNADOES. SOME HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.” The heaviest weather in Atlanta, a major travel hub of course, is expected from mid-afternoon Tuesday into Wednesday morning, with some minor to moderate airport delays possible. Winds turn breezy across the Southeast Wednesday night and Thursday, but they won’t be as strong as further north. Mid-Atlantic Monday into Monday night sees some scattered showers around. Moderate rains then move south to north through the mid-Atlantic states Tuesday evening into Wednesday afternoon, with perhaps some scattered thunderstorms as well. The weather will likely slow road travel across North Carolina, Virginia, D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but should not have much of an impact on airports. Rains should reach Richmond Tuesday evening before spreading north into D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia overnight. Expect numerous showers along I-95 through the day on Wednesday, lingering into Wednesday evening from around D.C.-Baltimore toward points north. The bigger story than the rain will be strong winds on Thursday (Christmas Day), perhaps gusting near 40 mph in many locations. Northeast Moderate to heavy rains make it north into the New York City and Boston areas Wednesday morning, and it likely stays rainy across much of southeast New York state, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and north into Vermont and New Hampshire before starting to dry out toward Christmas morning. The rain at times could be heavy enough for minor to moderate airport delays, and will almost certainly slow the drive along I-95 and other major highways. The wind cranks up on Thursday, again with gusts likely nearing 40 mph. |