Post-Thanksgiving chaos as hundreds of flights are set to be impacted by storms and powerful winds

The post-Thanksgiving rush to get home is going to face a bunch of stormy weather across the country, with New Orleans hit by a tornado this weekend.  

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

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

Video showed the intense storms hitting the region with further footage seeing a ton of damage and downed power lines in the New Orleans metropolitan region. 

One New Orleans electricity provider said they hoped to have power restored by 4:30 p.m. local time, NOLA.com reported.  

Video showed the intense storms hitting the region with further footage seeing a ton of damage and downed power lines in the New Orleans metropolitan region

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

One New Orleans electricity provider said they hoped to have power restored by 4:30 p.m. local time

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

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

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

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A reporter for Jezebel put it succinctly, tweeting: ‘Just boarded a plane in New Orleans, storm passing through, and our phones all blared an emergency tornado alert at the same time. We took off anyway, it was the roughest, wildest ascent I’ve ever experienced, people screaming/praying/vomiting. And the pilot makes a 6 Flags joke.’ 

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

According to AAA, about 55 million people were expected to go more than 50 miles from home over the holiday, about 98 percent of pre-pandemic levels. 

FlightAware, which tracks delays and cancelations, says about 400 flights have been slowed by the weather nationwide.  

Trees were ripped from their roots and water flooded down streets in New Orleans after the tornado on Saturday night

Parts of the city were left desolate by the tornado after it formed on Saturday afternoon and tore across the region before dying out

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

Airports saw 2,327,284 passengers passing through US airports on Monday, exceeding the 2,321,546 seen in 2019, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Long check-in lines are already piling up at JFK in NYC

AAA said the majority of travel was occurring by car, with 49 million Americans projected to crowd the roadways this Thanksgiving season as the Belt Parkway in Queens, New York, is already experiencing delays and back ups

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

There’s also the chance 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 until at least Sunday.