The National Weather Service suggests Michiganders change their holiday travel plans if they plan on driving or flying this Friday.
A large of swath of the U.S. braced Tuesday for a dangerous mix of below-freezing temperatures, howling winds and blizzard conditions scheduled to arrive on the first day of winter and disrupt plans for millions of holiday travelers.
The blast of wintry weather will descend upon the Plains and upper Midwest on Wednesday, then blow toward Appalachia and the East Coast.
Authorities across the country are worried about the potential for power outages and warned people to take precautions to protect the elderly, the homeless and livestock.
The storm is expected to hit the state of Michigan starting Thursday night and intensify on Friday.
Brandon Hoving is a meteorologist in the weather service’s Grand Rapids office.
He’s predicting heavy snow and high winds at the same time that many Michiganders are planning to hit the road for the Christmas weekend.
“It’s a dangerous travel situation once we get into Friday. We really recommend people change their plans for the weekend travel,” said Hoving.
Hoving expects the winter storm will also cause numerous flight delays.
Nearly 113 million Americans were expected to travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday season, up 4% from last year but still short of the record 119 million in 2019, according to AAA. Most were planning to travel by car; around 6% were planning to fly.
