Washington (TDI): Rough Weather and severe storms across the southern and western parts of the United States have disturbed flight schedule during one of the busiest weekends of the year as on Friday at 1pm, over 3,500 flights had been delayed and 96 cancelled, according to FlightAware, media reported on Saturday.
This follows a tumultuous Thursday, which saw 8,832 flights delayed and 791 cancelled due to powerful storms that produced tornadoes in Texas and Louisiana.
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Meteorologists warned that weather conditions could worsen on Saturday, with increased chances of hail, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes.
“We do have an increasing concern that there are going to be a lot of storms with a severe weather threat,” a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS), Evan Bentley was quoted saying as.
Louisiana and Alabama are identified as the states most at risk for severe weather this weekend.
The Lower Mississippi Valley an the Tennessee Valley, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast also expected to face rough weather conditions.
Additionally, the Pacific Northwest is bracing for heavy rain and snow, prompting flood warnings for lower elevations in Oregon and Washington, along with winter storm warnings in mountainous regions across several states, including California and Colorado.
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The media reports in America said that the travel disruptions come during what is expected to be the busiest holiday travel season in US history.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) estimates that nearly 40 million travellers will be screened at airports from December 19 to January 2, a 6.2% increase from last year. The three busiest travel days are projected on Friday and Monday.
Nevertheless, most holiday travel is occurring on the roads, with AAA reporting that 90% of trips will be made by car. Fortunately, above-average temperatures are expected to mitigate the risk of significant snow and ice on highways in many regions.
