More rain, snow and gusty winds to hit during weekend travel rush

Millions of holiday travelers will start winding down this year's Thanksgiving festivities as rain and snow sweep through the Midwest on Saturday then push into the Northeast on Sunday into Monday.

As the storm continues its eastward movement, it'll affect post-Thanksgiving travel with widespread snow, areas of ice and powerful winds from the northern tier states into the northeast, according to the National Weather Service.

Patrick Costanzo brushes snow off a friend's car in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"Wintry weather will produce some difficult travel conditions across parts of the eastern US Sunday and Monday," the National Weather Service tweeted. "The big storm that moved onto the West Coast last Tuesday will reach the eastern US this weekend."

Ahead of the anticipated winter weather, American Airlines issued waivers for passengers traveling Sunday and Monday on flights to and from New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports as well as Newark and the airline's hub in Philadelphia.

Other cities in the American Airlines announcement include Boston, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Toronto, Canada.

Delta Airlines announced weather waivers for 16 cities in the Upper Midwest on Saturday, and 22 cities in the Northeast for Sunday and Monday, including airports in Boston and the New York area.

Of special concern is Sunday, when millions of holiday travelers head home. There will be a mix of rain and snow through the Midwest and an icy mix in parts of the Northeast, with New York City and Boston forecast to have snow, followed by rain.

"Although the exact snowfall amounts are still uncertain, travel impacts are likely Sunday afternoon into Monday," the National Weather Service tweeted.

A record 31.6 million passengers will travel on US airlines during the Thanksgiving holiday period, according to a forecast by Airlines For America, an American airline trade organization. That's up 3.7% from last year.

Sunday is expected to be the busiest travel day ever for the US airline industry, with 3.1 million passengers expected that day, according to the organization's estimates.

A second storm that affected the Northeast this week has now pushed into the Atlantic Ocean, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said.

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