Post-Thanksgiving chaos as hundreds of flights expected to be hit by storms and powerful winds

The rush to get home after Thanksgiving is going to face a slew of storms across the country, with New Orleans hit by a tornado this weekend.

As everyone tries to get home to get back to work on Monday, wind advisories are set for about nine million people in the southeast, including Louisiana, where a tornado was confirmed on Saturday.

About 10,000 people were without power after the weather hit St. Charles Parish with winds of 86 to 110 miles per hour.

The video showed the intense storms hitting the area along with other footage showing a ton of damage and downed power lines in the New Orleans metro area.

A New Orleans electric utility said it hoped power would be restored by 4:30 p.m. local time, NOLA.com reported.

About 10,000 people were without power after the weather hit St. Charles Parish with winds of 86 to 110 miles per hour

A New Orleans electricity supplier said it hoped power would be restored by 4:30 p.m. local time.

As everyone tries to get home to get back to work on Monday, wind advisories are set for about nine million people in the southeast, including Louisiana, where a tornado was confirmed on Saturday.

The area also faced multiple marine warnings throughout the evening due to wind and rain.

Forecasters warned people near the tornado’s path to be aware of flying debris that could damage mobile homes, roofs, windows and vehicles.

A Jezebel reporter summed it up succinctly, tweeting: “I just boarded a plane in New Orleans, a storm is coming through, and our phones all sounded an emergency tornado alert at the same time. ” We took off anyway, it was the toughest and wildest climb I’ve ever experienced, people were screaming/praying/vomiting. And the pilot makes a 6-flag joke.

But with heavy rain hitting much of the southern half of the country and moving into the mid-Atlantic region, cities from Chicago to Atlanta to Washington and Nashville could see travel impacted.

According to AAA, about 55 million people had to travel more than 80 kilometers from home during the holidays, about 98% of pre-pandemic levels.

FlightAware, which tracks delays and cancellations, says about 400 flights were slowed by weather across the country.

Trees were ripped from their roots and water flooded the streets of New Orleans after Saturday night’s tornado

Parts of the city were left devastated by the tornado after it formed on Saturday afternoon and tore through the area before dying out

But with heavy rain hitting much of the southern half of the country and moving into the mid-Atlantic region, cities from Chicago to Atlanta to Washington and Nashville could see travel impacted.

Airports saw 2,327,284 passengers transit through US airports on Monday, surpassing the 2,321,546 seen in 2019, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Long queues are already piling up at JFK in New York

AAA said the majority of travel is by car, with 49 million Americans expected to hit the roads this Thanksgiving season as the Belt Parkway in Queens, New York, already experiences delays and backups.

Rain will hit the northeast Sunday afternoon and evening in New York, Philadelphia and Boston. Strong winds and lightning could slow travelers down.

There’s also the possibility of a mountain snowstorm in the Pacific Northwest this weekend, NBC News reports.

Parts of Cascadia and the Rockies have winter weather advisories and high wind alerts through at least Sunday.