At least 4,200 flights have been canceled ahead of one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, with icy roads putting drivers at risk. In 12 hours, the Wyoming Highway Patrol team responded to more than 100 car crashes. Governors of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and New York have declared states of emergency.
At a press conference, President Biden said, “Heed local warnings. ‘It’s not like the snow days of your childhood. This is a serious problem.'”
An arctic cold front cut through Lower 48, causing a dizzying drop in temperatures. In Denver, for example, he endured his record-breaking 37-degree descent in an hour.
Life-threatening chilly winds are expected to reach the East Coast by Friday, warning that temperatures could plunge more than 50 degrees in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. High winds, rain and ice threatened holiday treks in DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
Meteorologists also warned that the Great Lakes could experience heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions over the weekend.Chicago and Detroit airports were expected to see the most delays and cancellations.
Still, many travelers moved forward.
Maddie Nieman, a 31-year-old graphic designer living in Los Angeles, couldn’t bear the thought of missing her family’s Christmas celebrations for the second year in a row. Last December, her battle with the coronavirus left her bedridden. This week she enthusiastically scrolled through her strategic flight options. Were there windows to fend off the blizzard?
Niemann was due to meet his mother and brother in Chicago on Wednesday, but that flight was cancelled, so he booked another flight for Friday and two more for Saturday.
“I hedge my bets and keep my flight credits,” she said.
In the Midwest, people rushed to buy essentials and last-minute Christmas gifts before the gusts of wind picked up. A meteorologist from Lansing, Michigan, tweeted a photo of a selection of clean grocery store aisles.
“Never in my life have I seen an entire loaf of bread disappear from the shelf,” she said. I have written“They even took Pumpernickel!”
Liz Barrett, 60, a food and wine publicist in Chicago, stocked up on bottles of champagne and Napa Valley red blends. Outside her window on Thursday evening, snow appeared to be blowing sideways.Most of her family lived within 24 km of her of each other, but she was caught in a huge blizzard (ice, I was worried that the tricky sight) would keep them apart.
“I can’t even comprehend it,” she said.
Chicago’s normally stormy weather forced several popular attractions to close on Thursday, keeping visitors out of museums and holiday lighting displays.The beloved downtown Christkindlmarket closed early. . City officials advised residents to stay indoors.
Michael Lanigan, 31, who works in stock sales in New York, was due to fly to the Windy City on Thursday to spend the holidays with his fiancée’s family, but his flight was cancelled. He booked another one for Friday (which was also canceled). He booked another car for Saturday (his fingers crossed) and, as a last resort, a rental car — despite Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, urging New Yorkers to cancel travel plans. figure.
Hurricane Ian had disrupted their October wedding in Florida. He didn’t want another devastating storm to take Christmas away.
“It’s only a 12 hour drive,” he said with a laugh. “It will happen. I’m going to spend Christmas in Chicago.”
Paul Stoick, a 33-year-old environmental engineer in San Diego, thought he was fine until he saw the departure screen.
“Suddenly the whole board was completely red and yellow,” he said. “Everything was canceled and delayed.”
He got up at 4:00 am on Thursday and started his journey to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His family lives in a small town about 150 miles north. Fourteen hours later, he was stranded at Denver Airport, staring at the frozen tarmac.
His connecting flight was cancelled. It’s late next time.
Once Stoic boarded the plane, he would face other obstacles on the ground. Blizzard concerns have prompted authorities to close the highway to his hometown. He found a hotel and hoped the weather would clear up in time to deliver toys to his nieces and nephews for Christmas.
“I grew up in a winter environment,” he said from Terminal C at Denver Airport. “We treat it when we get it.”
Kim Bellware of Chicago and Jason Samenow of DC contributed to this report.