OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:18 AM PT — Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Two powerful storms are threatening to snarl Thanksgiving travel
plans for millions of Americans from coast to coast. According to the
National Weather Service, the back-to-back storms will unleash strong
winds, thunderstorms as well as heavy rain and snow.The first storm system is already wrecking havoc on Colorado, where parts of the state are seeing up to two feet of snow and wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour. That system will make its way across the country hitting the Midwest early Wednesday into Thursday, and then the East Coast and Northeast by the end of the week.
Many states like Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota are already under winter storm warnings. Officials in the Gopher State have warned residents to prepare diligently as they brace for the conditions.
“Make sure you have supplies, weather that’s a small bottle of water, definitely a charger for your phone…make sure you have a flash light, a radio, your medication…make sure you have it accessible if you get stuck in the snow somewhere,” said , deputy director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Meanwhile, a second storm brewing in the Pacific is expected to strike the West Coast with hurricane force winds and heavy snow in parts of California and Oregon. Meteorologists are calling it a “bomb cyclone,” which is a mixture of blizzard-like conditions and powerful winds. They say it could break records. The National Weather Service warned it is no ordinary storm, and said the conditions will be treacherous for travel by road and by air.
Hundreds of flights have already been cancelled at Denver International Airport and more are expected. Additional airports nationwide, including Minneapolis, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, could also see major delays or cancellations through Friday.
This comes as AAA predicts more than 55 million people will be taking to the roads and skies this Thanksgiving holiday, which is the second highest number of travelers in nearly two decades.
