Thanksgiving Storm Causes Hundreds of Flight Cancellations Across the Country

Mother Nature has decided we all better stay home for Thanksgiving this year as snow storms occur across the country Tuesday night.

As Good Morning America reported, Colorado saw an estimated 10 to 14 inches in the first half of the day alone. Denver topped out somewhere around 14 inches causing white out conditions which canceled 500 flights at the city's airport — one of the busiest hubs in the country.

Thankfully, by Tuesday evening the airport had opened more runways to allow for a potential catch-up in traffic. But, this storm isn’t done yet.

GMA explained, the storm is expected to continue its way across the nation, hitting northern Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota on Wednesday. During the day, Minneapolis could see up to a foot of snow with potential wind gusts of 35 miles per hour.

As for Thanksgiving day, forecasters say the moisture may evaporate, however, the wind gusts are expected to stick around. In both New York City and the nation’s capital wind gusts are expected to reach between 30 to 50 mph, which may become a challenge for those hoping to hold down the massive balloons at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

But wait. There’s more.

CNN reported, an estimated 21 million Americans are currently under some sort of weather advisory. That includes those living in Southern California and Arizona, who are currently under a flash flood warning, which could make driving to Thanksgiving dinner extremely dangerous.

A little further north, The National Weather Service predicted that Northern California and Oregon may have wind gusts in the 70 to 80 mph range. As CNN astutely noted, 74 miles per hour is considered hurricane-force winds.

Because of the difficult travel situation many airlines have already chosen to waive change fees. According to TravelPulse, American, Delta, Southwest, and United are all allowing some passengers to change their itineraries at no additional cost. As it further explained, the biggest impact will be felt at the Denver airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

If your Thanksgiving plans include flying make sure to check in with your airline prior to heading to the airport to ensure your flight is on-time or taking off at all. If your flight is canceled take these steps to ensure you either get on the next flight or get a refund.