Travel to be dicey for holiday
— -- Bad weather today across much of the USA is likely to scramble the travel plans of thousands of Americans flying and driving home for Christmas.
Christmas Eve "is going to be an absolute nightmare, both in the air and on the ground," says Kevin Roth, lead meteorologist at the Weather Channel.
The only good news: Travelers in the Plains from North Dakota to Texas should find no weather problems. Also, the return trip this weekend promises to be smoother for many. "Sunday looks a lot better for travel than Wednesday, Thursday or Friday," Roth says.
Travelers across the Midwest and West were stuck Tuesday at airports, in bus stations and along roadways because of winter storms.
Gerald France, 35, his wife, Andrea, and his twin 14-year-old stepsons began their journey home by air Sunday from Pekin, Ind., to Belfair, Wash., after an early Christmas visit; they're still not there. Their flight from Louisville to Chicago was delayed several hours Sunday, causing them to miss their connection to Seattle. United Airlines booked the family on another flight tonight — four days after they were due home.
France cried as he described the experience. The retired Marine was badly injured in a 2005 fall and suffers from back and knee problems and other ailments, making travel difficult even under the best circumstances.
The family is getting food from the USO office in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, where they have been sleeping and killing time. "My kids are traumatized for life from this," France says. More than 400 flights from O'Hare were canceled Tuesday.
Low clouds and heavy rain are forecast for Christmas Eve from Boston through New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., which could cause flight delays. In the Midwest, Detroit and Chicago will get wintry precipitation that starts as rain and turns to snow in the afternoon. The South can expect thunderstorms from Nashville to Houston.
A double-barreled weather headache is forecast in the West. The first storm will produce rain and wind around San Francisco and Sacramento, then push into Los Angeles and San Diego. A second storm will hit already-battered Seattle and Portland, Ore.; both cities are likely to get snow, more than six inches in some areas.
