US post-Christmas travel: Storm may cause delays from Maine to Texas; Blowing snow to wreak havoc in northern Plains

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

December 25,2016, 3:26:12PM,EST

 Those returning home from Christmas destinations will face a high risk of travel delays across the eastern two-thirds of the country on Monday.

A Christmas Day storm slamming the central U.S. will sweep eastward to start the new week. Travel hazards will persist across the northern Plains despite the storm winding down. Farther west, a Pacific storm will push inland across the Northwest.

Wet weather to expand across the East
A swath of rain will expand from the Great Lakes eastward to the Northeast and southward to the western Gulf Coast.
Enough cold air will linger to the north for some wintry weather late on Sunday night into Monday. An icy mix could cause slick roads from central Pennsylvania to New York and New England. Bridges and overpasses will be most susceptible to turning icy.
In some of these areas, the icy mix will change over to all rain from southwest to northeast throughout the day.

All rain is in store from Detroit eastward to Pittsburgh and southward to Cincinnati; Little Rock, Arkansas; and San Antonio, Texas. Some thunder and lightning can occur from the lower Mississippi Valley to Texas.
Motorists should be aware that the threat for pooling of water on roadways and hydroplaning will be heightened in these areas.
Drizzle and a low cloud ceiling could cause delays at major airport hubs along the Interstate-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to New York City. Steady rain will hold off in these areas until Monday night.
Blowing snow to cause white-out conditions over northern Plains
The heaviest snow will exit the northern Plains by daybreak Monday. Still, a bit of snow and gusty winds threaten to hinder blizzard cleanup operations and travelers.
“Travel will remain poor on Monday on the roads and in the air due to blowing snow, and roads are still likely to be covered with snow,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun said.
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This includes portions of interstates 29, 90 and 94.
Anyone venturing outside will need to bundle up. Subzero AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will grip the Dakotas and western Minnesota.
Rain, snow to push inland across the Northwest
A storm with rain and snow will push ashore across the Pacific Northwest from Monday afternoon into Monday night.
Rain, some heavy, will expand along the Interstate-5 corridor from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. Over a foot could bury the Cascades into Tuesday, leading to treacherous travel over the mountain passes.

Most of the U.S. to turn tranquil on Tuesday
Rain will fizzle to spotty showers from the Northeast coast southwestward to the western Gulf Coast on Tuesday. A fresh push of cold air will trigger some lake-effect snow showers downwind of the Great Lakes.
Rain is expected to continue to drench western Washington and Oregon as snow expands into Idaho and Montana.
Motorists across the northern Plains could still encounter snow-covered roads as cleanup from the Christmas Day blizzard continues. A new round of gusty winds could once again blow and drift snow later in the day and at night.