As Christmas Approaches, Travelers May Face Winter Weather and Potential Government Shutdown
As over 119 million people travel at least 50 miles from their homes between Saturday and New Year’s Day, they may encounter challenges due to winter weather and a possible government shutdown. While major winter storms are not expected in the coming days, several minor storms could create travel troubles.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects to screen nearly 40 million people between now and January 2, with the busiest days expected to be today, December 27 and December 30. However, TSA agents and air traffic controllers could be working without a paycheck if a deal isn’t reached to fund the federal government by midnight Friday.
A winter storm is heading for the Northeast, bringing the possibility of a few inches of snow for interior portions of the region and a chance of rain and light snow for major metropolitan areas. Washington, DC, New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston could see rain mixed with snowfall on Friday before transitioning to snow on Friday night into Saturday.
Cold temperatures will also accompany the storm, with parts of the East expecting the coldest temperatures of the season over the weekend. Cities in the South, such as Atlanta and Dallas, could experience night temperatures at or below freezing over the weekend.
Another storm system is expected to impact the West Coast, bringing rainfall chances from San Francisco to Seattle. The storm could also bring higher elevation snowfall and valley rain through the Rockies, and eventually move into the Midwest and Great Lakes by Christmas week. Cities such as Chicago and Detroit could see a chance of rain and snow on Monday.