Nearly 14 million people were under various winter weather alerts on Sunday as a post-Thanksgiving snowstorm moved over the Rockies and Central Plains and travelers trekked home after the holiday, forecasters said.
Winter storm warnings were in effect on Sunday for parts of the upper peninsula of Michigan, while weather advisories were in effect for parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes region, the Weather Service Prediction Center said on Sunday.
Moderate to heavy snowfall was expected to affect portions of the Southern Rockies and Central Plains, including much of Kansas, where as much as a foot of snow had fallen in some places as of Sunday.
“Gusty winds and heavy snow will increase hazardous travel conditions,” the National Weather Service said.
In Wichita, Kan., the Weather Service warned drivers on Sunday that a majority of roadways across the state were “snow packed and icy.” Meteorologists urged drivers to reduce their speed and allow extra time to reach their destination. The Harvey County Sheriff’s Office, in Newton, Kan., said on social media that it had responded to multiple vehicles that slid off roadways on Saturday.
As of Sunday morning, parts of Iowa had received up to four inches of snow, while areas of Missouri had received as much as 5.3 inches. Parts of Nebraska reported getting 10 inches, and parts of Colorado got from 10.5 to 23 inches, the Weather Service said.
The wintry weather comes as roughly 55.4 million people were estimated to be traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to projections from AAA, the automobile association that also tracks air travel.
The organization said this year’s travel forecast increased 2.3 percent from last year’s, making it the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since 2000, when the organization began tracking holiday travel.
“For many Americans, Thanksgiving and travel go hand in hand, and this holiday we expect more people on the roads, skies and seas compared to 2022,” Paula Twidale, the senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement.
The Transportation Security Administration said it anticipated that airport security checkpoints nationwide “will be busier than ever this holiday travel season” through Tuesday.
The administration said it expected to screen 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, “which will likely be the busiest travel day” of the season. It urged travelers to arrive at the airport two hours before their scheduled departure time.
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