Christmas Holiday Travel Weather Could Have Some Headaches In Parts Of The West And East
- - Christmas Holiday Travel Weather Could Have Some Headaches In Parts Of The West And East
Jennifer Gray December 25, 2025 at 7:31 PM
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Hopefully you're already where you need to be for Christmas, but if you're still traveling (or if you're already planning your return home after the holiday), here's where there could be a few trouble spots.
Christmas Day
The West, especially California, will continue to have challenging weather on the holiday.
West: Another potent Pacific storm will lash California with more heavy rain, strong winds and heavy Sierra snow. Some severe weather is possible along the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This valley rain, mountain snow and wind will eventually spread into the Northwest, Great Basin, Desert Southwest and Rockies.
Midwest, East: A little light snow could brush northern New England in the morning. Some light showers are possible in the Appalachians. Christmas night, some light freezing rain, sleet or snow could break out from North Dakota into northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and Michigan, which could lead to slippery driving conditions.
Potential weather-related flight delays: L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Chicago (low clouds)
The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow.Friday
The day after Christmas could have travel delays in parts of the Northeast and West.
Northeast, Great Lakes: Snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected to spread from the Great Lakes into the Northeast. The map below shows areas most likely to see this wintry precipitation, which could be a bit farther south than Tuesday's event. This could lead to significant flight delays at the major Northeast hubs, especially in the afternoon and evening, as well as slippery roads.
West: The Pacific storm will gradually wind down, but locally heavy rain showers will continue in California. Snow, possibly heavy, will extend from the Sierra into the northern Great Basin, northern Rockies and parts of the Cascades. Expect potentially challenging winter driving conditions in these areas.
Potential weather-related flight delays: L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit
The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow.Saturday
For the first time in several weeks, weather in the West will quiet down considerably, with the exception of a few lingering snow showers in the Rockies. However, some travel concerns are possible in the central and East.
East: Some light snow, perhaps mixed with a little sleet or freezing rain, may linger in parts of the Northeast early, before ending. In addition to any snow or ice that fell Friday, that lingering morning wintry mess could make for slippery travel in the region.
Central: Light rain, snow or a bit of wintry mix may break out near the Canadian border ahead of a cold front from North Dakota to the northern Great Lakes. Strong north to northwest winds behind a cold front will blast through parts of the Northern Plains and Front Range of the Rockies.
Potential weather-related flight delays: Boston, New York
The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow.Sunday
Sunday's weather will be dominated by a cold front, which could lead to significant travel headaches in parts of the East and South.
Northeast: While precipitation in parts of the Northeast could begin as either freezing rain, sleet or snow, current forecast models suggest the dominant precipitation Sunday may be rain for most, except for northern New England. There may also be strong winds both ahead of the front in the warm air, then behind the front in the colder air. If this forecast holds, expect significant flight delays at the Northeast hubs.
Midwest: Strong, cold northwest winds will blast through the upper Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes and Midwest, which could make driving tricky especially on east-west roads. Heavy lake-effect snow is possible in the snowbelts from far northern Wisconsin into Upper Michigan and western Lower Michigan. Expect dangerous travel with local whiteout conditions in these areas.
South: Rain showers, possibly some thunderstorms, are expected ahead of the cold front from Virginia and the Carolinas to the northern Gulf Coast. This could produce brief heavy rain and possibly some flight delays.
Potential weather-related flight delays: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago (wind), Atlanta, Memphis, St. Louis
The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow.
Make sure you check back often since the forecast will likely change. We hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
