Powerful Storm System Threatens to Disrupt Christmas Travel Across the U.S.—What to Know

Travelers may need a bit of festive magic to make it home for the holidays with a trifecta of weather patterns sweeping across the United States.

Several different storm systems could impact millions of travelers hitting the roads and taking to the skies ahead of the busy Christmas and New Year’s travel season, according to forecasters from AccuWeather. These storms are expected to affect everywhere from the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest, and the East Coast.

More than 122 million Americans are expected to travel during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, according to data from AAA. If the prediction holds, it would mark a new record for the holiday season and a 2.2 percent increase compared to the previous record in 2024.

These are the storm systems travelers should be aware of ahead of the holiday travel period.

Pineapple Express Storm

A system from Hawaii will transport a warm, humid stream of air toward the northwestern U.S, according to AccuWeather. The weather phenomenon, known as a “Pineapple Express,” is forecast to funnel rain into western Washington, Oregon, and northwestern California.

“Flooding in the higher elevations can occur in a matter of a few hours. However, where these rivers reach lower, flatter terrain just above sea level, moderate to major flooding can be delayed and longer-lasting and perhaps up to a few days,” AccuWeather’s Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure. “As the main focus of the atmospheric rivers shifts southward later this week, the potential for small stream and river flooding will increase substantially farther south in western Oregon, perhaps in the same manner as that of the Washington Cascades last week and again early this week.”

As of Wednesday, more than 240,000 people were without power in western Washington, according to a report from local KING 5 News, an NBC affiliate. Select portions of U.S. Route 12 were also closed and there was a blizzard warning in effect for the Cascade and Olympic mountains.

Windy Weather

Strong winds with peak gusts up to 70 mph are sweeping through the Northwest and Rockies, including in Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota, AccuWeather shared with T+L. These strong and gusty winds could potentially pull down trees, power lines, and affect travel on popular regional roads.

Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are also possible in the mid-Atlantic, across the New England coast, and near the Great Lakes. But it’s also supposed to get unseasonably warm in the area with highs in the 40s, 50s, and 60s from the mid-Atlantic to New England toward the end of this week.

Heavy winds can potentially affect flights and while there are no travel waivers currently posted, it is always recommended that passengers keep an eye on their airline’s website and flight status.

White Christmas?

Travelers in certain parts of the country dreaming of a white Christmas filled with fresh snow and scenic views may get their wish. AccuWeather predicted the central and northern Rockies, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, parts of the Midwest, and Northeast interior have a 75 percent chance or higher of a white Christmas this year. The company defines a white Christmas as having at least one inch of snow on the ground at 7 a.m. local time on Dec. 25.

A storm is also expected to hit in the days leading up to the holiday, which the company said could bring snow or ice to parts of the Great Lakes and interior Northeast.

“A storm could bring a fresh burst of snow just in time for Christmas morning. The exact track of the storm will determine which areas could be blanketed in fresh snow, and which towns could be soaked by rain instead,” AccuWeather’s Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said in a report. “At this time, it looks like areas north of Interstate 80 could see some snow. Mostly rain is expected south of Interstate 80.”