Wall of storms threatens to upend holiday travel
CHICAGO— Bands of ice, sleet and rain were upending some holiday travel plans as millions of Americans took to the roads, skies and rails Wednesday for Thanksgiving, but the wintry mix was not causing the widespread gridlock that had been feared.
So far, the storms barreling over the mid-Atlantic and Northeast have not sent widespread flight delays or cancellations rippling beyond the region to other parts of the nation’s air network, and forecasters said the storm would start to loosen its grip on the East Coast as the day wore on.
“Yes, I’m worried,” said Sylvia Faban, an 18-year-old college freshman waiting to launch into the heart of the wintry mess in New York from Chicago, where skies were a clear crystal blue. She and a few travel buddies could do little more than slump down on top of their bags at O’Hare International Airport and wait.