Strikes, rain and snow pose challenges during record Thanksgiving travel week

Some 80 million people are set to take to the roads, railways, skies and even cruise ships this week, each making trips of more than 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday.

“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on X. “Fortunately, our staffing is also at the highest levels that they have ever been. We are ready.”

A later Thanksgiving than usual — the final Thursday this year falling on November 28 — could mean a greater travel squeeze next Monday and Tuesday as more people travel home, rather than prolong their visits.

Many are heading south with both Orlando and Miami’s main airports each expecting 1.9 million travelers to pass through over the 12-day travel period.

Weather woes hit festive plans

NBC meteorologist Michelle Grossman said two separate storm systems were due to bring bad weather to different parts of the country. On Monday and Tuesday, the Rockies and Cascades could face high winds and snow, making travel difficult in mountain areas.

On Wednesday, that storm will intensify and expand as it moves east across the Plains, bringing a wintry mix of rain, snow and strong winds.

Thanksgiving Day will be a wet one for much of the Eastern Seaboard, from New England down to the South, while in northern states it could be bitterly cold, reaching 26 degrees in Minnesota.

Already 17,000 flights have been canceled or delayed because of severe weather across the country since Friday.

Best times to travel?

The vast majority of trips this Thanksgiving will be on the road, with 71.7 million car journeys surpassing last year’s figure by 1.3 million — helped in no small part by lower gas prices, which could reach a national average of $3 a gallon this week.

Data from transport analysts INRIX shows that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon will be the busiest times on the roads. But people may not realize that Thanksgiving Day itself is “typically clear.”

“We do recommend, [on] Tuesday and Wednesday try to leave early in the morning, the afternoon hours are the worst,” Aixa Diaz, AAA spokesperson, told NBC News.

“We always say traveling on the holiday itself is the best day to travel, not only because if you’re flying it’s cheaper tickets, but also there are just fewer people on the roads and at the airports,” she said.