During Thanksgiving week, which is set to conclude with yet another record day for air travel in the US, airports and highways are predicted to be overcrowded.
According to AAA, around 80 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and Monday of next week, the majority of them by automobile. However, persistent weather-related issues may affect travelers, and delays resulting from airline staffing shortages and an airport service workers strike may cause those traveling to their destinations to be grounded.
Here’s the most recent:
Flight delays could result from an FAA staffing deficit.
In order to address the persistent scarcity of air traffic controllers, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker stated last week that he anticipates his agency will implement specific procedures at certain locations.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is seen, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Image courtesy of Erik Verduzco/Associated Press
These facilities have formerly included airports in Florida and New York City.
We will slow traffic as necessary to maintain system security if we are short-staffed, Whitaker stated.
Despite the agency’s ambitious hiring targets, the FAA has long faced a controller shortfall that airline officials predict will persist for years.
Travel statistics for Thanksgiving
1. A car club and insurance provider According to AAA, between Tuesday and Monday of next week, almost 80 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles from home. The majority of them will drive.
2. Gas prices should be slightly reduced for drivers. On Sunday, the average price of gasoline nationally was $3.06 per gallon, which was lower than the $3.27 price at the same time last year.
3. Over the same seven-day period, the Transportation Security Administration anticipates screening 18.3 million individuals at American airports. That would fit a pattern established throughout 2024, but it would be 6% more than over the same days last year.
4. According to the TSA, 3 million travelers will go through airport security checkpoints on Sunday; if that number is exceeded, it might surpass the 3.01 million record set on the Sunday following the Fourth of July holiday. The next busiest days for flight travel during Thanksgiving week are anticipated to be Tuesday and Wednesday.
Learn more about traveling throughout the United States for Thanksgiving.
Airport employees in Charlotte are on strike due to inadequate pay.
Employees at Charlotte’s airport, one of the busiest in the country, who assist with wheelchairs, clean aircraft, and pick up rubbish, went on strike Monday in protest of their low pay.
The workers will demand respect on the job during the holiday travel season and an end to poverty wages, according to a statement released by the Service Employees International Union early Monday. According to union representative Sean Keady, the walkout was anticipated to extend for a whole day.
Workers at Prospect Airport Services and ABM cast ballots on Friday to approve the work stoppage at American Airlines hub Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The two businesses have a deal with American, one of the largest airlines in the world, to perform services including trash removal, wheelchair escorts, and interior cleaning of airplanes.
Learn more about the strike by airport employees in Charlotte.
The Northeast should receive the necessary precipitation.
In addition to the possibility of snow in the Northeastern states, areas of the Midwest and East Coast should anticipate significant rainfall through Thanksgiving.
Last week’s storm brought heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania and rain to New York and New Jersey, where wildfires have been raging for weeks. Following an unusually dry fall, the precipitation was predicted to help alleviate drought conditions.
Northeastern Pennsylvania, particularly the Pocono Mountains, saw a lot of snowfall. Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, two valley communities, saw smaller accumulations, while higher elevations recorded up to 17 inches (43 cm). Ten counties still had about 35,000 consumers without electricity, compared to 80,000 a day before.
Two days after a storm dumped a lot of snow on sections of the Catskills region of New York, about 10,000 residents were still without power Sunday morning.
West Virginia’s worst drought in at least 20 years was lessened thanks to precipitation, which also helped ski resorts get ready to operate in the coming weeks.
Learn more about the weather predictions for Thanksgiving week.
Following a catastrophic bomb cyclone on the West Coast, more rain is anticipated.
After a rapidly intensifying bomb cyclone struck the West Coast last Tuesday, bringing with it strong winds that destroyed homes and cars and collapsed trees and power lines, two people lost their lives in the Pacific Northwest. Before strong gusts and record-breaking rains poured into Northern California, hundreds of thousands of people in Washington state lost power.
According to forecasters, there is still a chance of flooding and mudslides because the area will have further rain beginning on Sunday. However, last week’s atmospheric river—a lengthy plume of precipitation that originates over an ocean and runs over land—will be more powerful than the most recent storm.
However, for the next two or three days, there will still be dangers throughout the West Coast, albeit smaller and of less size, according to weather service forecaster Rich Otto.
According to Otto, there is a chance of significant snowfall in parts of Utah and Colorado as well as higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada as the rain travels eastward during the week.
According to the resort, Mammoth Mountain in California, which received two feet (0.6 meters) of new snow during the most recent storm, may receive an additional four feet (1.2 meters) before the most recent system passes on Wednesday.
During Thanksgiving week, forecasts warn of potential winter storms across the United States.
As California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages, projections nationwide suggest that another bout of wintry weather might make travel more difficult in the run-up to Thanksgiving.
While dealing with flooding and minor landslides from a recent storm, authorities in California, where two people were discovered dead in floodwaters on Saturday, prepared for additional rain.
Here are a few of the regional projections:
5. Sierra Nevada: Through Tuesday, a winter storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service office, predicting high levels of snow and wind gusts of up to 55 mph (88 kph). It was predicted that there would be about 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snowfall overall, with Monday and Tuesday seeing the largest accumulations.
6. Midwest and Great Lakes: According to forecasters, Monday will bring rain and snow to the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, with the East Coast being most affected on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
7. East Coast: Rain is expected to arrive in the Southeast early Thursday as a low pressure system moves toward the Northeast. Parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine, and the Adirondacks may get snowfall, and areas from Boston to New York may experience rain and wind. According to experts, the mountains may get more rain and less snow if the system moves farther inland.
Learn more about the weather predictions for Thanksgiving week.
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