Thanksgiving travel: US set for busiest day so far but weather fears ease

The US will see its busiest travel day of the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday, officials say, but the wintry weather is not expected to cause widespread disruption.

A storm that hit much of the eastern US earlier this week raised fears of travel chaos for millions of Americans.

But the rain and wind is forecast to ease by Wednesday afternoon and is unlikely to disrupt plans for most.

Almost 50,000 flights are scheduled to depart on Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advised travellers to arrive at the airport early given it is the busiest day of the week. It urged passengers to check their flight status in advance because lingering rain and wind could still cause some delays and cancellations.

The FAA also said that low cloud and rain could affect some airports in the east; namely in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and around Washington DC.

But as of 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) most flights at those airports were departing, or were scheduled to depart, on time.

On the roads, rain has caused some flooding in eastern states.

There were some delays on the I-95 route from Virginia to Massachusetts on Wednesday due to flooding, but those conditions are expected to clear by the afternoon.

Drivers elsewhere have been told to expect trips to take longer than usual due to congestion.

"The day before Thanksgiving is notoriously one of the most congested days on our roadways," Bob Pishue, an analyst at INRIX, which provides transportation data, said in a statement.

"Travellers should be prepared for long delays, especially in and around major metros."

The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicted just shy of 50 million people will drive 50 miles (80km) or more during this year's holiday period.

This would be the third-highest travel numbers since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000 - marking an enthusiastic return to pre-pandemic levels.

With the weather expected to improve from Wednesday afternoon, forecasters say most can expect a pleasant Thanksgiving Day.

It also means the winds are unlikely to be strong enough to ground the balloons at the Macy's Thanksgiving parade in New York, so Americans and tourists alike can look forward to witnessing the colourful tradition.

Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the rain and wind would clear by Thursday.

From there, some snowfall is predicted for parts of northern New England and portions of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

Otherwise, the weather this week is expected to be "quiet", Mr Chenard said, with temperatures hovering around typical seasonal levels.

"It should be a pretty nice Thanksgiving for most people," he said.