Winter Storm Could Cause Travel Disruptions Nationwide

If you're traveling by air this week, get ready for delays, disruptions and cancellations.

A winter storm that made driving dangerous in the Pacific Northwest and canceled about 200 flights in and out of Seattle's airport on Tuesday is just getting started. The system is lining up to bring crippling snow and frigid temperatures to major Midwestern airport hubs in cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis and Chicago.

About 165 million Americans are in the path of the winter weather hitting just before Christmas that will dump snow in the Midwest and head as far south as Texas. About 113 million people are expected to travel for the holidays.

To prepare, some travelers are already making changes to their flights.

Kelsey Hicks is headed to a conference in Chicago. Hicks moved up her flight Thursday morning with the hope of beating the snow and get back to her family in Arkansas.

"I really don't want to miss Christmas with my two boys and husband," Hicks said. "I'm a little nervous that things aren't gonna work out like I hoped they would."

Some good news: most Americans will be taking road trips, with about 102 million expected to be driving. That includes Mike Carter's son, who is trying to beat the storm and get home to Chicago.

"We don't want anything to happen to our holiday plans," he said. "That's the scary part. Otherwise, we'll have tons of food at home with nobody to eat it."

First published on December 21, 2022 / 9:55 AM

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