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Holiday Travel Snarls Look To Be Easing

Morgan Griffin, 20 (left), and his brother, Eric Crandell, 12, browse their mobile devices as they wait to board the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train bound for Santa Barbara, Calif., at Union Station in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Snow and rain in the East snarled holiday travel, but by Thanksgiving Day, things looked to be improving.
Damian Dovarganes
/
AP
Morgan Griffin, 20 (left), and his brother, Eric Crandell, 12, browse their mobile devices as they wait to board the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train bound for Santa Barbara, Calif., at Union Station in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Snow and rain in the East snarled holiday travel, but by Thanksgiving Day, things looked to be improving.

The weather is still wreaking havoc for Americans still traveling today in planes, trains and automobiles, but for the most part, the situation has improved dramatically as people crisscross the country making their way to Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends.

AAA estimates that 46 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles to attend Thanksgiving festivities — the most in seven years.

Accuweather says the snow that fell Wednesday is continuing to disrupt holiday travel in some places:

"The heaviest snow will continue through Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, into Thursday morning.

" 'Some places in Maine could see up to or more than 1 foot of snow for the storm's total,' AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said.

"The heavy, wet nature of the snow may cause downed trees and power lines, he added."

But the FAA is reporting no significant air traffic delays today in the country's East, where a major storm brought a mix of snow and rain. That is a turnaround from Wednesday, when the weather caused delays for an estimated 90,000 people on the busiest travel day of the season.

And Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods is quoted by NBC as saying the rail system is "working, just busy."

NBC says 6.7 inches of snow had fallen in Albany, N.Y., by Wednesday evening, breaking that city's single-day record.

Despite the hiccups, travelers have one thing to be thankful for: the lowest gas prices in years. That not only means it's cheaper to fill up the family car, but airfares are cheaper too, as airlines have passed on some of their savings in jet fuel costs to consumers.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.