Bad Weather Wreaks Havoc For Holiday Travelers
December 24, 2008 – 7:09 am‘Twas the day before Christmas and all though out the United States bad weather conditions are causing problems for holiday travelers.
Rain, snow and wintry conditions have braced a number of regions, causing havoc for people en route to somewhere else for Christmas.
Unfortunately for holiday travelers, these conditions could cause late arrivals and in worse case scenarios, travel plans being canceled because of inclement conditions.
Holiday weather forecasts predict snow and ice for much of the midwest. A winter weather advisory has been issued in Chicago, Illinois, and the local forecast there is calling for a wintry mix of snow, sleet and/or freezing rain.
As of 8:30 PM last night 500 flights had been canceled at O’Hare International Airport. Other flights that weren’t canceled were delayed by two hours or more.
Those traveling by car should allow for extra travel time as road conditions could be treacherous.
In the eastern United States, New York, NY is experiencing similar weather conditions and a Winter weather advisory has been issued.
Forecasters are calling for snow, ice and sleet in the region.
In Cleveland, Ohio, Hopkins International airport was briefly closed on Tuesday because of a rainy ice mix. Hopkins spokesperson Jackie Mayo said, “We shut down the runways because we needed to treat them and get that heavy ice off so that planes were OK to land.”
On the roads, black ice caused the closure of highways and was blamed for at least 50 car accidents in the Greater Cleveland area.
Cleveland Hopkins has since reopened and temperatures in the area are expected to be in the 40’s today.
Significant snowfall is forecast for Michigan, northern Indiana, Illinois and northern Missouri.
Even the west coast will be experiencing bad weather conditions. Rain is predicted for California and mountain snow is forecast for mountain areas in the region.
If you have plans to travel for the Christmas holiday, be sure to allow extra time to arrive at your destination safely, and if you’re flying, call ahead to make sure that adverse weather hasn’t delayed or canceled your scheduled flight.