Severe weather, heavy rain, snow could snarl post-Christmas travel as millions return home

As millions begin the trek home after the Christmas holiday, they’ll be dealing with stormy conditions to close out the week with rain, severe weather and snow expected across parts of the country.

Thursday was a tough day to travel in Texas as severe thunderstorms triggered multiple flight delays and cancelations in Dallas and Houston. 

The swath of severe weather slid to the East out of Texas Thursday night, leaving for calmer weather on Friday in the Lone Star State. 

But that is not the case for the rest of the South, which now faces a two-day threat of severe weather.

While Friday’s severe weather threat is muted – just a level 1 threat along the Gulf Coast, thunderstorms could slow travel from Nashville to New Orleans with rain showers reaching north into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes.

But the severe weather threat ramps up for Saturday. Large areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama are in level 2 or 3 out of 5 severe weather threat, according to the SPC.

While details about the budding threat are still being sorted out, the SPC warns that strong tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds are all on the table for Saturday and residents should closely monitor the forecast.

Soggy end to holiday week in the Northeast with brief ice threat

Just as quickly as New York City experienced its first white Christmas in 15 years, mild temperatures and rounds of rain are coming to melt it all away.

The FOX Forecast Center is monitoring several systems to track into the Northeast starting Friday that will keep the forecast wet and turbulent through the end of the year as millions attempt to travel home.

Round 1 will be in the form of light and scattered showers as the system that produced severe weather on Thursday in the Southern Plains weakens and tracks northeast on Friday. 

That system may bring a light glaze of freezing rain across northern New Jersey, northeastern Pennsylvania and into south-central New York. Winter Weather Advisories are posted from 7 p.m. Friday through Saturday morning.

Round 2 arrives Sunday as energy tracks out of the Rockies, pulling additional Gulf moisture north into New England, creating a flash flooding risk for the interior Northeast. 

A third system could disrupt New Year’s Eve plans and force umbrellas to be required for anyone going out to celebrate the end of 2024 in style.

Storm after storm continues to smack West Coast

The Pacific Northwest continues to live up to its rainy reputation this week as it remains in the middle of a series of storms moving in off the Pacific through Saturday.

By this weekend, seven different systems will have impacted the Northwest with atmospheric rivers of various strengths.

Thursday marked 15 consecutive days of reported rainfall in Seattle. 

Several additional inches of rain will fall across western Washington, Oregon and northern California.

At lower elevations, the cumulative impact of the repeated rounds of rain will increase flood and landslide concerns throughout the week. 

Up in the mountains, more than 7 feet of snow could fall along the higher peaks of the Cascades. 

Driving across mountain passes has ranged from difficult to impossible at times as heavy snow causes multiple spinouts.