ST. LOUIS – Holiday travelers in the Midwest and parts East and South were keeping a leery eye Friday on a band of foul weather stretching across the nation’s midsection that was threatening to mar the opening weekend of one of the year’s busiest travel periods.
Forecasters were predicting a stew of foul weekend weather, from freezing rain and snow in the north to torrential rain in the Ohio Valley and Appalachia and possibly even tornadoes in the South.
The worst of the storm wasn’t expected to hit Midwest population centers until today, and although few flights had been canceled as of midday Friday, the weather was already taking a toll on air travel: FlightStats.com reported more than 1,900 U.S. delays, with the most at Chicago’s O’Hare, Denver International, and the three big New York-area airports.
The foul weather could cause headaches for the estimated 94.5 million Americans planning to travel by road or air during this holiday season, which runs from today through New Year’s Day.
Concerns were similar a month ago, when a winter storm hit just as people were traveling for Thanksgiving.
While much of the East awoke to unusually warm temperatures Friday, the storm was causing pre-Christmas travel worries from Chicago and Detroit to Boston and New York. In New England, communities were planning for a bit of everything – snow, sleet and rain – but were most concerned about the threat of freezing rain.
Freezing rain snarled traffic and forced some school closures in Michigan and Wisconsin on Friday. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said Interstate 90/94 was ice-covered from Tomah and Mauston. The state was bracing for significant snow, sleet and ice.
The Weather Service issued a flash flood watch from Arkansas northeastward through parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, with up to 4 inches of rain projected. With falling temperatures, some of that could be freezing rain by tonight in the St. Louis area, Weather Service meteorologist Jon Carney said.
While the Midwest and Plains were preparing for ice and snow, residents down South were concerned about tornadoes, which forecasters said were possible this weekend even though they are uncommon this time of year. The area most threatened stretched from central and northeastern Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and southeast Missouri, where 80 mph wind gusts and flash flooding were possible.
Forecasters were predicting a stew of foul weekend weather, from freezing rain and snow in the north to torrential rain in the Ohio Valley and Appalachia and possibly even tornadoes in the South.
The worst of the storm wasn’t expected to hit Midwest population centers until today, and although few flights had been canceled as of midday Friday, the weather was already taking a toll on air travel: FlightStats.com reported more than 1,900 U.S. delays, with the most at Chicago’s O’Hare, Denver International, and the three big New York-area airports.
The foul weather could cause headaches for the estimated 94.5 million Americans planning to travel by road or air during this holiday season, which runs from today through New Year’s Day.
Concerns were similar a month ago, when a winter storm hit just as people were traveling for Thanksgiving.
While much of the East awoke to unusually warm temperatures Friday, the storm was causing pre-Christmas travel worries from Chicago and Detroit to Boston and New York. In New England, communities were planning for a bit of everything – snow, sleet and rain – but were most concerned about the threat of freezing rain.
Freezing rain snarled traffic and forced some school closures in Michigan and Wisconsin on Friday. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said Interstate 90/94 was ice-covered from Tomah and Mauston. The state was bracing for significant snow, sleet and ice.
The Weather Service issued a flash flood watch from Arkansas northeastward through parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, with up to 4 inches of rain projected. With falling temperatures, some of that could be freezing rain by tonight in the St. Louis area, Weather Service meteorologist Jon Carney said.
While the Midwest and Plains were preparing for ice and snow, residents down South were concerned about tornadoes, which forecasters said were possible this weekend even though they are uncommon this time of year. The area most threatened stretched from central and northeastern Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and southeast Missouri, where 80 mph wind gusts and flash flooding were possible.