Snowstorms In Rockies Threaten Thanksgiving Flight Delays In NYC

NEW YORK CITY - Powerful storms in the middle of the country are affecting travel across the U.S. as 4.5 million Americans begin to fly to Thanksgiving destinations.

Many flights were canceled Tuesday as the first of two major storm systems moved through the Rockies, Great Plains and Great Lakes. Denver International Airport, a major hub, canceled more than 450 flights Tuesday morning.

Though a long way from New York City, the changes were having knock-on effects nationwide.

The Flightaware.com Misery Map shows what to expect across the country.

The storms will potentially affect travel through the weekend, setting up the potential for headaches for Americans on their way home after the holiday.

If you're planning to travel by road from NYC, here are the times to avoid.

The National Weather Service called the second storm “historic” and “unprecedented” for southwest Oregon and northwest California, where it will bring areas of damaging winds, heavy mountain snow and heavy rain to the West Coast Tuesday through Thanksgiving Day.

Parts of Colorado had received more than a foot of snow by daybreak Tuesday, with more expected to fall in blizzard conditions. Some areas could see near-record snowfall. The National Weather Service in Boulder, Colorado, “strongly discouraged” travel Tuesday. The storm had already closed several roads, including Interstates 76 and 70 across the Plains.

The current storm has prompted winter storm watches and warnings in effect through Wednesday across a large swatch of the central United States, from Colorado to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to as far south as Oklahoma and Iowa. Heavy winds are expected to cause more delays across large swaths of the country.

If the storm intensifies, it could bring heavy, windswept snow to the north and west of the affected area and severe thunderstorms to the south and east, the National Weather Service warns.

For Thanksgiving week in New York, the National Weather Service is forecasting:

Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 59. Southwest wind around 7 mph.

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday
A 40 percent chance of showers after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Light and variable wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the morning.

Wednesday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Breezy, with a west wind 13 to 23 mph.

Thanksgiving Day
Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Breezy, with a west wind 21 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph.

Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 33.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 45.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Saturday
Partly sunny, with a high near 42.

Saturday Night
A 30 percent chance of snow after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.

Reported by Beth Dalbey/Patch