Winds, rain and snow hit Northeast amid Thanksgiving travel rush

Travelers on the East Coast should expect heavy traffic and flight delays as a storm system continues to unleash rain, wind and snow throughout the day on Wednesday.

The storm has already produced enough rain to cause urban flooding along Interstates 80, 81, 95 and other major highways, AccuWeather reported. As the storm strengthens later on Wednesday, however, winds with gusts up to 40 to 50 mph could cause further delays.

The I-95 route from Virginia to Massachusetts is expected to experience “major travel disruptions,” but AccuWeather predicted that by Thursday, travelers should expect dry weather and the storm to have lessened.

AAA forecasts that a record 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to The Associated Press.

There is some good news at the pump, however. Gasoline prices are down about 37 cents a gallon from this time last year, the AP reported. The national average on Tuesday was $3.29 per gallon, down from last year’s $3.66.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the East Coast should expect “widespread rainfall and locally heavy rain” to taper off by Wednesday evening. The Carolinas will see precipitation continue longer into the day.

The NWS also noted that New England should expect accumulating snow throughout the day — especially over northern Maine, which could see up to eight inches of snow.

For the northern and central Rockies region, “a white Thanksgiving is on tap,” NWS predicted, “as arctic air intrudes the northern tier of the country on Thanksgiving Day into Friday.”

Temperatures are expected to be “much above average” on Wednesday, followed by a drop in temperatures on Thanksgiving Day, as the cold air sinks southward by the end of the week and spreads across most of the country by the weekend — save for the immediate West coast and South Florida, according to the NWS.

About 2.7 million people are expected to board flights on Wednesday, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which expects about 2.9 million to board on Sunday after Thanksgiving. The AP reported that will surpass the previous record set by the TSA on June 30.

By 2:40 p.m. EST, there were 55 cancelations and 2,127 delays for flights within, into, or out of the United States.

— Updated at 2:44 p.m.