Here’s How the Winter Storms Will Impact Travel—and What to Do If They Mess Up Your Plans

With winter storms battering both Northern and Southern California, there are bound to be trip interruptions, especially if you’re planning to travel by air this Valentine’s Day weekend. That can not only be frustrating but also confusing as a traveler. We spoke with Erica DeMilia, Aviation Meteorologist in charge of The Weather Company and Jonathan Belles, a Weather.com digital meteorologist to find out how long delays could last, what the broader impact may be for airlines, and what their top tips for travelers stuck in a storm might be. Here’s what they had to say.

How long could the storm-related delays last?

“Low pressure located off of the Northwest Pacific Coast is bringing an abundance of moisture in the way of rain and snow into the western U.S. Thursday into Friday. Snow over the Sierra Nevada is expected into Saturday while the moderate, potentially heavy, rain over the rest of California will end overnight on Thursday into Friday,” says DeMilia. “This system weakens over the West, but regenerates to the East with the next impact over the Rockies into the Upper Midwest from Friday into Saturday.”

Travel throughout the country could be harried throughout the weekend and early next week. Because that same system deepens rather quickly over the Ohio Valley bringing quite the wind, rain, there will be a snow and mixed precipitation event to the Great Lakes and Northeast this weekend. Delays and cancellations won’t only impact the area where the storms are; they will also have a domino effect that may affect flights throughout California and the western US for days after the storm ends.

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What is the broader impact on airlines?

“The airline industry can falter under a larger storm system that affects such a huge swath of the U.S. There will be a reduced flow in air traffic that will be allowed in and out of the airports due to staffing, being able to clean the runways, having to de-ice the aircraft, airline crews timing out for [regulated breaks] because of the longer wait times, and crew or aircraft being delayed at other airports,” says says DeMilia. “With the reduced air traffic, there will be more cancellations simply because the airport cannot keep up with the volume of aircraft in the weather conditions to ensure safety.”

Are there any tools or apps travelers should use during the storms to stay up to date?

According to the staffers at Weather Channel, weather is the largest cause of air traffic delays in the National Airspace System, accounting for about 75% of system-impacting delays lasting more than 15 minutes. Powered by the world’s most accurate forecaster, The Weather Channel’s app gives you localized weather forecasts and activity indexes for departure, layover, and arrival airports offer insights you need for a stress-free travel experience. The Weather Channel app’s Air Travel feature allows users to input your departure time and location and time and location of arrival for the most accurate representation of how the weather might impact your travels, in real time. 

“We just launched a new feature called Probabilistic Snowfall which will provide all potential outcomes so you can best prepare. For instance, while traditional forecasts might predict 5 inches of snowfall in the next 24 hours, a probabilistic forecast highlights the range of possibilities—showing that snowfall could be as little as 1 inch or as much as 10 inches,” says Belles. “This added context helps users assess uncertainty, make informed decisions, and prepare for anything from light flurries to a major snowstorm.”

What is the best travel tool/item to pack for travelers who might be traveling during this time?

“The most important thing? Patience!” says Belles. “In terms of tangible items, bring a neck pillow, small blanket or jacket/layers, a change of clothes, extra cords for your electronics and some non-electronic entertainment such as a book, puzzle or airport scavenger hunt list.”

Any other tips worth mentioning?

“Keep an eye on the weather in the days leading up to your flight to decide ahead of time if you should contact your airline and preemptively change your flight. And always check with your airline before traveling to the airport,” says DeMilia. “If you do go to the airport and there are delays or cancellations, patience with the staff is always key to making it a better experience for all; they are under higher stress due to how busy their jobs become due to the weather.”