Heavy rain, snow in eastern US thwarts some Thanksgiving travel

WASHINGTON: A wintry blast of heavy rain wind and snow across the eastern United States disrupted Thanksgiving travel plans on Wednesday for some of the millions of Americans hitting the roads and taking to the skies on the busiest holiday travel day of the year.

While the travel delays were not as bad as many had feared meteorologists warned that falling temperatures could create icy road conditions for those who put off travel until Wednesday night.

The wintry weather caused around 265 flight cancellations and prompted delays at major airports along the East Coast including Boston’s Logan Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport according to the FlightAware.com tracking site.

Tim O Heir, an audio professional working on a Broadway show in New York, said his flight home to Dallas from LaGuardia Airport was delayed by two hours. “As long as it gets me there I don’t care he said. I’m just worried because I got a 60 turkey in the fridge. And my wife can’t boil water.”

Kenneth McIntyre said he had a hassle free flight from Minneapolis to the Philadelphia International Airport where delays were already being reported early in the day.

“It was so smooth I didn’t know there was anyone else traveling said McIntyre who planned to spend the holiday with relatives. Travel conditions were expected to worsen later on Wednesday with a combination of precipitation and rapidly falling temperatures resulting in slick roads according to AccuWeather.com meteorologist Bill Deger.

“Travel around some of the big cities by road could be a little tricky if people wait until tonight’” Deger said.

Rain was moderate to heavy in the Southeast mid Atlantic region and Northeast on Wednesday with light to moderate snowfall from the southern Appalachians to western New York, the National Weather Service said.