Winter storm disrupts Thanksgiving travel across U.S., causing delays and cancellations

Winter weather is continuing to disrupt travel for people returning from their Thanksgiving destinations

(CNN)- Winter weather is continuing to disrupt travel for people returning from their Thanksgiving destinations, as a new storm system begins to form in the Mid-South. Forecasters say the system is taking shape near the Arkansas–Louisiana–Texas border and will bring snow across much of the Northeast this week, with heavy rain expected farther south.

The new round of hazardous weather comes on the heels of a weekend storm that snarled travel nationwide.
“This is definitely one for the books,” said Katy Nastro, a spokesperson and travel expert with Going.

In Indiana, state police say a massive 45-vehicle pileup occurred on Saturday — miraculously with no major injuries reported. And in Iowa, Delta says no one was hurt when one of its planes slid off a runway Sunday.

The airline-tracking website FlightAware reports around 12,000 delays and about 1,000 cancellations across the U.S. on Sunday alone. Chicago O’Hare was the hardest-hit airport.

“We were pushed back because it was delayed for a couple of hours,” said Chicago traveler Rolanda Johnson-Shorter, who caught a later flight that was also delayed. At Hartsfield–Jackson in Atlanta — the world’s busiest airport — travelers faced delays despite no snow in the area.

“The aviation system is really interconnected,” Nastro explained. “You can be impacted even if you’re nowhere near the weather.”

As the new system moves east, travelers are being urged to check flight statuses frequently and prepare for lingering delays throughout the week.