A potent double-barrel storm is snarling travel just two weeks before the Christmas peak. On December 9 an ‘atmospheric river’ drenched Oregon and Washington, pushing rivers toward flood stage, closing highways and triggering power outages. Farther east, the same system is dumping freezing rain and heavy snow from Montana to Minnesota with wind gusts up to 65 mph, forcing school closures and blizzard warnings.
![Atmospheric River and Midwest Blizzard Disrupt U.S. Holiday Travel, Prompting Road and Flight Advisories]()
The National Weather Service has posted flood watches along the Pacific Coast and blizzard advisories across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest through Wednesday. Airlines are offering fee-free rebooking for Pacific-Northwest and Great Lakes hubs, while trucking companies report jack-knifed rigs on I-94 and I-90. Business travellers should expect cascading delays as aircraft and crew rotations are disrupted; Seattle-bound flights Monday night averaged 55-minute holds, and Minneapolis-St Paul International warned of potential de-icing shortages if ice accretion continues.
Corporate mobility teams are advising employees to avoid overnight drives in affected states, to carry flexible tickets, and to verify that client sites remain open. Another storm is forecast for the Pacific Northwest by Sunday, raising the prospect of extended disruption well into next week.
The National Weather Service has posted flood watches along the Pacific Coast and blizzard advisories across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest through Wednesday. Airlines are offering fee-free rebooking for Pacific-Northwest and Great Lakes hubs, while trucking companies report jack-knifed rigs on I-94 and I-90. Business travellers should expect cascading delays as aircraft and crew rotations are disrupted; Seattle-bound flights Monday night averaged 55-minute holds, and Minneapolis-St Paul International warned of potential de-icing shortages if ice accretion continues.
Corporate mobility teams are advising employees to avoid overnight drives in affected states, to carry flexible tickets, and to verify that client sites remain open. Another storm is forecast for the Pacific Northwest by Sunday, raising the prospect of extended disruption well into next week.
