An ill-timed snowstorm grounded hundreds of flights in and out of Denver on Tuesday as travelers around the country also braced for bad weather that could interfere with Thanksgiving plans, officials said.
“Two powerful storm systems will move through the Lower 48 states this week,” a statement from the National Weather Service said Monday night.
“Storm 1 will bring heavy snow from the Rockies to the Upper Midwest Tuesday and Wednesday with strong winds south of its track. Storm 2 arrives Tuesday into the West Coast with heavy mountain snow.”
Denver International Airport reported at least 481 flight cancellations and 283 delays on Tuesday, throwing a monkey wrench into travel plans of 196,000 passengers who had planned to pass through the Rocky Mountain hub two days before Thanksgiving.
About 9.5 inches of snow fell at DIA airport between Monday night and 1 p.m. MT on Tuesday.
“It’s supposed to clear up tomorrow, so cross your fingers” that a full slate of flights could take off and land Wednesday, airport spokeswoman Alex Renteria said Tuesday.
Heavy snow was also expected to fall on Minnesota starting Tuesday night and continue through Wednesday afternoon. Between 5 and 10 inches of snow was forecast for the Twin Cities, NBC affiliate KARE reported.
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But if the bulk of the snow falls in the late night and early morning hours — when few flights are scheduled at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport — plows might be able to efficiently clear runways and keep cancellations and delays to a minimum.
“It’s much better than snow falling in the middle of the day,” airport spokesman John Welbes said Tuesday. “So far, our boards haven’t lit up (with cancellations).”
Then in Chicago, that town is expected to live up to its Windy City nickname with powerful gusts blowing all day on Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve.
Winds should get up to about 50 mph in the late morning on Wednesday and remain powerful throughout the day.
“So if you’re driving a high-profile vehicle or a van or just on the interstates tomorrow please be advised you’re going to need both hands on the steering wheel because the winds won’t relax until Wednesday evening,” NBC Chicago meteorologist Paul Deanno warned.
Meanwhile in central and southern Oregon, travelers may have to adjust their plans in light of heavy rain and snow that are forecast to pummel the region Tuesday afternoon and night.
With up to 12 inches of snow expected to fall in the area’s highest elevations, some travelers decided to get a jump on travel Monday.
“Oh yeah, we don’t want to be on the roads when the weather hits,” driver Julie Eagen told NBC affiliate KGW in Portland. “It can be scary.”
Even balloons at the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade could be grounded due to winds forecast for New York later this week.
Forecasters said sustained winds of between 20-25 mph, with gusts between 46-50 mph, could come to New York City on Thursday morning.
Sustained winds of at least 23 mph and gusts of 34 mph would ground balloons, according to Susan Tercero, the executive producer of the parade that will be televised by NBC.
“We refer to it as a game-day decision,” Tercero said. “We get there right before the parade begins.”
“We kind of assess based on all our anemometers along the route,” she said, referring to devices that measure wind speed and direction. “Then, we’ll make that determination about how high the balloons will fly and if they’ll fly.”
