Holiday Snow Storms Are Here To Ruin Your Travel

Every single time I hear "Let It Snow" I get annoyed. It doesn't matter if its the soft jazz elevator version or Dean Martin. And you know why? Because snow really, really sucks unless you have absolutely nothing to do but sit inside. Just as sure as Christmas music will take over adult contemporary stations the day after Thanksgiving, the winter storms come every year to wreck your travel plans. This year, it seems, is no exception.

A giant storm system is opening a pandora's box of weather woes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sludgy rain, snow, and even tornadoes will be dumped across the country, because you can't have holiday gatherings without a bunch of hiccups. It's a fact of life, really. It's best not to fight it. Remember winter storm Cato just before Thanksgiving? This is the Christmas version of that.

This year is a particular pain, as AAA expects that a record-breaking 98.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more in the coming days. As of this writing, there have already been 300 flights cancelled or severely delayed, so we're off to a rip-roaring start. The weather just may be the ultimate troll. But here is what we can expect as you make your way to see loved ones this festive and damp holiday season.

Tuesday

A north-south cold front will come in and dump snow in the upper Midwest. But the Gulf Coast will get the worst of the front, with 3 to 5 inches of snow expected and strong winds. With those conditions, which will primarily affect Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia, isolated tornadoes are possible.

The Ohio Valley will get a bit of rain, which could possibly creep into New England, but the weather situation doesn't turn really ugly for the East Coast until...

Wednesday

The system will turn its grips to the East Coast on Wednesday, dumping the heavy rain and winds that were plaguing the Gulf Coast on the East. But at least you'll (likely) be spared from the snow! There are almost record-high temperatures along the Boston-to-Washington corridor, putting it at a balmy 50 or 60 degrees. Unfortunately, upper Midwest and Plains, you aren't spared. There is potentially "significant" snowfall heading toward Chicago and Milwaukee, which will continue to sweep westward to Salt Lake City, which could get up to 8 inches of snow on Christmas Day.

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