Thanksgiving travel: Midwest snow challenges travelers

SPEAKING OF TRAVEL AND YOUR TRAFFIC, MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE ON THE MOVE TO THEIR THANKSGIVING DESTINATION. SOME ROADS WILL BE JAMMED TODAY. AIRPORTS BUSY AS WELL. OUR FIELD METEOROLOGIST MICHAEL ARMSTRONG JOINING US LIVE FROM THE KOCO PATIO. MIKE, WITH YOUR THANKSGIVING TRAVEL FORECAST. YEAH, THINGS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY SMOOTH FOR TRAVELERS, BUT FOR THOSE TRAVELING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, IT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING. SNOW ON THE ROADS IN THE MIDWEST TODAY, AS MANY AMERICANS HEAD OUT OF TOWN TO CELEBRATE THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY. MINNESOTA AND THE DAKOTAS GETTING HIT WITH NEARLY A FOOT OF SNOW AND SOME PRETTY STRONG WINDS. BUT FOR THOSE WHO GOT AN EARLY START, IT’S BEEN BETTER. WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE ROADS WERE LIKE, BUT THEY WERE. THEY WERE CLEAR. THEY WERE OUTSTANDING AND ICING ANYWAY, SO EVERYTHING LOOKED REALLY GOOD AND WE REALLY DIDN’T HAVE ANY NOTICEABLE DELAYS AT WILL ROGERS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. EVERYTHING WAS MOVING WELL THIS MORNING, BUT THE LINES HAVE BEEN LONG ELSEWHERE IN LOCATIONS LIKE ORLANDO, FLORIDA. YEAH, TODAY WE’RE GOING HOME. WE HAD FUN VISITING FAMILY AND NOW IT’S TIME TO TRAVEL HOME FOR THANKSGIVING, WHICH IS A LITTLE OPPOSITE OF WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE DOING. BUT EVEN MORE PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO DRIVE. WE WANT TO GO TO LAS VEGAS. THE ROADS WERE PACKED TUESDAY AND POSSIBLY EVEN WORSE TODAY. HOW’S THE TRAFFIC BEEN SO FAR? REALLY? YEAH A NIGHTMARE. TRAFFIC. IT BECAME A PARKING LOT. IT TACKED ON ANOTHER FOUR HOURS, AND SOME PEOPLE ALONG THE COAST BEATING THE TRAFFIC BY CHOOSING TRAINS. VERY COMFORTABLE. YOU’RE HUNGRY. YOU CAN EVEN GET FOOD WITHOUT PULLING OVER. YOU KNOW, YOU DON’T HAVE TO STOP AND GET GAS. IT’S GREAT. THE MOST LIKELY AREAS TO BE IMPACTED CLOSE TO OKLAHOMA IS TO OUR NORTH AND EAST. AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES IN SATURDAY, SO BE SURE TO CHECK ROAD CONDITIONS ACROSS KANSAS, NEBRASKA, IOWA, AND MISSOURI, ESPECIALLY TO OUR NOR

As millions of Americans travel for Thanksgiving, snow in the Midwest is causing challenges, while airports and roads are busy across the country.

Updated: 5:04 PM CST Nov 26, 2025

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Millions of Americans are traveling for Thanksgiving, facing busy airports and jammed roads, with snow in the Midwest creating additional challenges. Snow in Minnesota and the Dakotas has reached nearly a foot, accompanied by strong winds. >> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel”We didn’t know what the roads were like but they were clear they were out sanding and icing anyway so they were really good… we really didn’t have any noticeable delays,” said George Brown, traveling to Nashville.At OKC Will Rogers International Airport, everything has been moving well Wednesday morning, but long lines have been reported in locations like Orlando. “We’re going home! We had fun visiting family and now it’s time to go home for Thanksgiving. It’s a little opposite of what most people are doing,” Brian Pearson said.Many travelers are expected to drive, with roads packed on Tuesday and possibly even worse today. One traveler expressed excitement about heading to Las Vegas, saying, “We want to go to Las Vegas, whoo hoo!”Traffic has been described as a nightmare by some, with cars stuck in the middle of the road and onlookers causing delays. Meanwhile, some people along the coasts are choosing trains to beat the traffic. One traveler noted, “It’s very comfortable, if you are hungry you can even get food without pulling over.. You don’t have to stop and get gas, it’s great.”Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.The most likely areas to be impacted close to Oklahoma are to the north and east as a storm system moves in Saturday, so travelers should check road conditions across Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri if driving later this weekend.Top HeadlinesHomicide investigation underway after shooting in north Oklahoma City neighborhoodConnors State College basketball player dies days after suffering injury during gameThis year’s Thanksgiving travel could break records – Here are the airports with the best and worst TSA wait timesWATCH: Drivers get out of cars to move pile of pallets left in middle of I-44 in Oklahoma City2 arrested after high-speed chase in stolen car ends in Midwest City crash

>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel

“We didn’t know what the roads were like but they were clear they were out sanding and icing anyway so they were really good… we really didn’t have any noticeable delays,” said George Brown, traveling to Nashville.

At OKC Will Rogers International Airport, everything has been moving well Wednesday morning, but long lines have been reported in locations like Orlando.

“We’re going home! We had fun visiting family and now it’s time to go home for Thanksgiving. It’s a little opposite of what most people are doing,” Brian Pearson said.

Many travelers are expected to drive, with roads packed on Tuesday and possibly even worse today.

One traveler expressed excitement about heading to Las Vegas, saying, “We want to go to Las Vegas, whoo hoo!”

Traffic has been described as a nightmare by some, with cars stuck in the middle of the road and onlookers causing delays. Meanwhile, some people along the coasts are choosing trains to beat the traffic.

One traveler noted, “It’s very comfortable, if you are hungry you can even get food without pulling over.. You don’t have to stop and get gas, it’s great.”

Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.

The most likely areas to be impacted close to Oklahoma are to the north and east as a storm system moves in Saturday, so travelers should check road conditions across Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri if driving later this weekend.

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