Snow map shows potential problems for early Christmas travel

What’s New

Americans hoping to get a head start on holiday travel could have dangerous winter weather to contend with in the Northwest and Northeast this week as winter storms pose hazards across multiple states, according to forecasts from AccuWeather.

A map created by Newsweek shows the states expected to be impacted. Newsweek reached out to AccuWeather by email for comment.

Why It Matters

Millions of Americans will travel for the holiday this year, with a report from AAA predicting that more than 119 million Americans have at least 50 miles to travel or more for year-end holidays.

Thanksgiving also brought record-breaking travel this year, with millions of Americans facing hazardous weather on their journey home after the holiday, particularly in the Northeast, where lake-effect snow prompted officials in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York to urge people to delay travel until the worst of the snow had passed.

What to Know

Now, hazardous weather poses a risk for early travelers for the holidays. Forecasts and maps from forecasting agencies like AccuWeather and the National Weather Service (NWS) show that the wintry weather will impact multiple states in the Northwest and Northeast.

Winter weather advisories are already in place in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, according to the NWS.

In the Northeast, the advisories are set to expire by late Monday morning after a mixture of snow and freezing ice moves through the area.

The advisories in the Northwest will last a little longer, with most set to remain in place until Monday night or Tuesday morning.

What People Are Saying

NWS office in Boston advisory: “Untreated roads may be icy for the morning commute including in the Providence metro area.”

NWS office in New York City advisory: “Very slippery sidewalks, roads and bridges are possible. The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday morning commute.”

AccuWeather meteorologist Grady Gilman, in a report: “The current storm will target more of the Pacific Northwest and northern Intermountain West through Monday, bringing periods of rain and mountain snow to Northern California … Across the Cascades, upwards of a foot of snow can fall at the highest peaks with accumulating snow down to pass levels.”

What Happens Next

A shift to the weather pattern will occur in the Pacific Northwest later this week, bringing warmer, dry weather, AccuWeather reported, though Gilman warned that another series of storms will move through the area over the weekend and next week, likely causing more hazardous holiday travel.

As for the Northeast, another storm will arrive this weekend, bringing more snow and wintry weather to the area, AccuWeather reported.