Christmas travel trouble: Northeast ice and West Coast storms threaten road, air travel across US

A series of potent storms is expected to hammer the West Coast through Christmas Day, while precipitation in the Central and Eastern states will also contribute to travel woes.

As millions prepare to journey “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house” this holiday season, an active weather pattern threatens to complicate travel plans across the United States. AccuWeather meteorologists are forecasting significant disruptions, with icy and snow-covered roads in the Northeast and flooding and avalanche risks ramping up along the Pacific Coast. A series of potent storms is expected to hammer the West Coast through Christmas Day while precipitation in the Central and Eastern states will also contribute to travel woes. Whether by car or plane, travelers should brace for delays and hazardous conditions on their way to holiday celebrations.

Close to one storm a day will roll ashore along the West Coast from Washington to Northern California. While there may be a slight pause centered on Christmas Day in the storm train, each storm will increase the risk of flash flooding, road washouts, mudslides in the lower elevations and snow-clogged roads at times with an avalanche risk high up in the mountains.

AccuWeather has a separate story covering more specific information on the West Coast.

Farther to the east, the combination of a clipper storm, coastal storm and Arctic air will lead to slippery travel and even snow-covered roads for a time from parts of the Great Lakes to the coastal Northeast into Saturday. Even as the snow, wind and related travel delays diminish early in the weekend, the cold air will linger and may set the stage for more wintry trouble next week.

A storm will push across the northern Plains with spotty snow near and north of its track. As that storm reaches the Mississippi Valley by early next week, a moisture flow will cause precipitation to become widespread and significant.

Areas of rain and fog with embedded thunderstorms are in store from northeastern Texas to the mid-Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley states on Monday. The rain, patchy fog and spotty thunderstorms will shift eastward across the central Gulf coast, Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians on Monday night and the day before Christmas. A batch of rain and thunderstorms may survive the trip to the southern Atlantic coast by Christmas Day.

Any time mild and moist air flows over a zone of cold and dry air, dense fog can form and where the air remains cold enough, there can be some ice and snow concerns for travelers from the Great Lakes region Monday, shifting to the central Appalachians, New England and perhaps part of the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday.

GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

•   Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+

There may be a bit of snow or a wintry mix in the region from Boston and New York City to Philadelphia and perhaps even Washington, D.C., for a time on Christmas Eve.

Should the storm pushing eastward across the Plains remain weak and grab significantly less moisture, the precipitation from the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes to the Northeast will tend to be more spotty in nature. There can still be pockets of slippery travel from a bit of snow and/or ice.

A plume of moisture may remain over the lower Mississippi and Ohio valleys on Christmas Day as one of the storms moves offshore over the Atlantic. The lingering moisture can lead to areas of rain, drizzle and fog over parts of the South Central states.

This moisture can expand northward into lingering chilly air over the Midwest once again later Christmas Day and into Thursday.

Fog can be locally dense along portions of the central Gulf coast from Monday to Thursday next week.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo