Travel Alert January 2017: Winter Storm to Affect Southern and Eastern United States

I f the southeastern United States is in your travel plans over the next few days, you may want to consider delaying your travel — or, at least, keep yourself updated as to the latest information pertaining to the weather — while much of the south central and eastern regions of the United States should experience less of a disruption due to winter weather.

Travel Alert January 2017: Winter Storm to Affect Southern and Eastern United States

Winter weather and the southeastern United States generally do not mix well. Major travel delays are expected starting tomorrow, Friday, January 6, 2017 due to the convergence of arctic air from the north and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to the south, which is expected to result in accumulations of snow of up to 12 inches in some locations — and after the snow has fallen, it will freeze and create slippery conditions through at least the weekend, as moderating temperatures are not forecast to return until the middle of next week.

A state of emergency has already been declared in the states of Georgia and Alabama due to the impending winter weather — especially after the debacle which occurred almost three years ago due to the abysmal lack of response by state and local authorities to a winter storm; and although there were plenty of flight delays and cancellations as a result back then, highways were clogged with abandoned cars due to severe gridlock conditions and ice on the roadways throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area.

The remainder of the east coast of the United States — all the way to the extreme southeastern corner of New Hampshire — is expected to experience freezing temperatures and at least a dusting of snow. Other than local areas where more of an accumulation of snow is possible, up to two inches is expected in most areas of the northeastern United States — still enough to disrupt travel on at least one airline and cause slippery conditions on roadways.

Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations

If you are traveling to anywhere in the southern or eastern United States over the few days, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to these tropical systems which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip might be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.

If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary. If you are driving in any of these areas, watch out for deteriorating weather conditions and traffic problems.

Here are seven airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of Hurricane Matthew:

• Delta Air Lines currently has travel alerts for 20 airports in six states from Friday, January 6, 2017 through Saturday, January 6, 2017 ; and Tuesday, January 10, 2017 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
• American Airlines has travel alerts for 30 airports in nine states with different travel dates.
• JetBlue Airways has travel alerts for 14 airports in nine states with different travel dates.
• United Airlines has travel alerts for 20 airports in nine states with different travel dates.
• Southwest Airlines has issued two separate travel alerts for this winter storm: one for the south central United States; and one for the southeastern United States.
• Spirit Airlines has issued this travel advisory only for Atlanta at this time.
• Allegiant Air is issuing travel alerts related to weather on a per-flight basis only at this time.

Summary

As you can see, the aforementioned alerts widely vary by airline; so be sure to contact your airline or transportation provider for the latest information pertaining to your travels — if they are adversely affected — and please: travel safely.

Photograph ©2011 by Brian Cohen.