Nov. 26--Wintry weather spread north and east throughout Tuesday and promised to bring dangerous snow and icy conditions to the northeast overnight, threatening the travel plans of millions trying to get to Thanksgiving dinner on time.
At Palm Beach International Airport, about a dozen outgoing and incoming flights were delayed Tuesday evening, but that could worsen today -- one of the busiest travel days of the year -- as the storm is expected to affect flights up and down the East Coast. The airports in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando were also experiencing a few delays Tuesday evening, while most of the flights in Miami were running on schedule.
In anticipation of flight interruptions, four airlines waived the fees to change flights from the Gulf Coast through New England on Tuesday.
This holiday will likely see the most air travelers since 2007, according to Airlines for America, the industry's trade and lobbying group, with the busiest day being Sunday, an estimated 2.56 million passengers. Today is expected to be the second busiest, with 2.42 million passengers.
There were 135 flights across the U.S. that had been canceled as of Tuesday evening, not all for weather. At any given time one or two airports were experiencing delays, none topping half an hour.
While a storm is making the days leading up to Thanksgiving more treacherous on roads and in the air, the skies are forecast to be clear and cold air is due to dominate from Maine to Miami.
In West Palm Beach, today is expected to start out warm with showers, but by night the skies should clear and temperatures are expected to drop to 47 degrees. And while that turkey cooks, temperatures outdoors will struggle to reach 70 degrees.
In preparation for anticipated high winds associated with the passage of a cold front through the area, Florida Power & Light Co. added additional crews to work throughout the night Tuesday and today. Martin, Palm Beach and counties to the north and west were most likely to be the affected areas, FPL officials said.
Wind gusts from 25 mph to 30 mph are forecast today for parts of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, the National Weather Service in Miami said.
To the north, heavy rain and breezy conditions were in the forecast from the Carolinas to the Northeast, with ice and snow a possibility in the Appalachians, western Pennsylvania and western New York.
The storm system, already blamed for at least 11 deaths, could also spawn tornadoes in the Florida Panhandle. The Southeast is set to suffer soaking rain in the coming days, primarily in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
"It couldn't have come at a worse time," said meteorologist Tim Morrin of the National Weather Service. "Visibility will be restricted not only by the rain and wash from other cars, but from the fog."
Copyright 2013 - The Palm Beach Post, Fla.
