Where will Old Man Winter whip up travel woes for Christmas and beyond?

Although winter weather hazards will be few and far between, parts of the country will contend with slowed travel from rain, thunderstorms and fog.

Although winter weather hazards will be few and far between around the hustle and bustle of Christmas, parts of the country will contend with slowed travel from rain, thunderstorms and fog into the end of the week, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

Much of the eastern part of the country will be in the weather express lane, free of wet or wintry conditions on Christmas Day and in the days to follow. A quick-hitting storm that moved through the Northeast late Monday night into Tuesday morning was the Interstate 95 corridor’s last gasp for a potential white Christmas. This storm brought a dusting of snow from Boston to Baltimore, with sleet reported in Washington, D.C. Accumulations of an inch or two were reported in the far northwestern suburbs of New York City.

An area of high pressure will set up shop across New England into the end of the week, resulting in good weather for holiday travelers into and out of the major hubs of the Northeast. However, motorists traveling westbound on Interstates 70, 80 or 90 or air passengers with routes through Chicago may run into some weather-related slowdowns.

“Across the Midwest, areas of rain and drizzle and the potential for widespread fog could produce slower-than-normal travel around the holiday,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. Icy spots may develop where temperatures hover around freezing and fog becomes dense, with untreated bridges and overpasses being particularly prone to becoming slippery.

These hazards will be generally limited to areas south of I-90 on Christmas Day but can expand northward into the upper Great Lakes on Thursday.

Farther south, a zone of rain and thunderstorms is expected to soak the middle and lower part of the Mississippi Valley into Wednesday night. The primary hazard for motorists along Interstates 10 and 20 will be reduced visibility due to heavy downpours and blowing spray. A handful of thunderstorms may produce gusty winds, but the greater risk for severe weather will be later Thursday into Thursday night across eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas and Louisiana.

“Across the Northwest, there will be wet and snowy roads to contend with, depending on your elevation, that will result in difficult travel from Christmas night right through the end of the week as storms pummel the region,” Buckingham said.

Each of the storms will track far enough inland to produce rounds of accumulating snow and slippery travel across the central Rockies into the weekend.

Motorists are encouraged to use the free AccuWeather app to monitor the forecast at various points along their journey, especially if the route includes significant elevation changes.

GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

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

This weekend, travelers in the East will contend with wet weather returning as moisture slowly advances eastward from the middle of the country.

Mild air building into the region later this week should limit wintry precipitation to upstate New York and New England.

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