Christmas Holiday Travel Forecast: Will Weather Delay Your Trip?

December 25,2016
Snow, ice, rain or even fog may cause headaches for those taking to the roads or skies to return home from Christmas holiday destinations.
(MORE: Most Weather Delayed Airports)
The main weather system we're following is Winter Storm Europa, affecting the West, Plains, upper Midwest and interior Northeast.

Forecast Airport Weather Impact

Below, we break down the forecast day-by-day and highlight a few areas where travel troubles are anticipated.
(MAPS: Weekly Planner)

Sunday (Christmas Day)

Sunday's Forecast (Christmas)

Winter Storm Europa will be going strong in the Upper Midwest.
Impacts will include heavy snow, blizzard conditions in the northern Plains and High Plains, a mix of sleet and freezing rain in parts of the upper Midwest and northern Great Lakes, as well as rain and thunderstorms farther south in the Plains throughout the day and eastward to the Ohio River Valley late in the day.
Icing will be a problem on untreated roads in the Midwest where up to 0.10 inches of ice is anticipated, with localized areas receiving 0.25-0.50 inches of ice. Those higher amounts may also cause trees to come come down onto roadways, possibly leading to some power outages.
Air Delays Possible: Minneapolis (snow, ice, rain, wind); Dallas-Ft. Worth (rain, thunderstorms); Kansas City, (rain, thunderstorms); Chicago (low clouds, rain, wind)
Road Travel Issues I-90 from western Wisconsin to Montana (blizzard conditions in western South Dakota/eastern Wyoming, early ice in Wisconsin and Minnesota, snow in Montana); I-94 from western Wisconsin to Montana (blizzard conditions in North Dakota and eastern Montana, some ice in Wisconsin and Minnesota); I-35 from Texas to Minnesota (rain/t-storms south, snow north)

Monday

Monday's Forecast

Winter Storm Europa will track eastward spreading snow, sleet and ice into portions of the interior Northeast, with snow and some wind lingering early in areas of the upper Midwest. Rain and a few thunderstorms will stretch from the eastern Great Lakes to the Texas coast. Another system will bring rain and snow to the Pacific Northwest.
High pressure behind Europa will bring dry conditions for much of the Plains and inter-mountain West. Mainly dry conditions will also prevail near the Southeast coast, though stubborn clouds may linger.
Air Delays Possible: Cleveland, Indianapolis (rain, wind); Houston (thunderstorms)
Road Travel Issues I-90 from Massachusetts to Indiana (rain and some ice possible); I-65 from Tennessee to Michigan (rain)
Check back for updates in the days ahead.
MORE: Winter Storm Decima, December 2016 (PHOTOS)