Christmas travelers face delays due to snow, atmospheric river
Alex Sosnowski
Mon, December 22, 2025 at 7:42 PM UTC
2 min read
Weather-related travel delays may mount in California and some parts of the Northeast and Great Lakes from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day, as well as the days that follow the holiday, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
By far, the most impactful weather from Wednesday to Friday for this Christmas week will be in California. A new atmospheric river will unfold by midweek with torrential rain lingering through Thursday and into Friday. Widespread problems from flooding, mudslides and washouts will create dangerous conditions on some highways, as well as at street level in the towns and cities in the state.
On top of the rain, colder air will cause freezing levels to dip and snow to expand from the high country of the Sierra Nevada to more intermediate elevations in the mountain range, as well as in the Siskiyous to the north and the Transverse Ranges to the south. So much snow may fall on Donner Pass during Wednesday night and Christmas Day that the major thoroughfare may close for a time. Many feet of snow are forecast to pile up over the Sierra Nevada during the second half of this week.
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Snow levels may dip enough to bring snow to Interstate 5 near the California and Oregon border as well as the Grapevine in Southern California.
Farther to the northeast, a series of clipper storms will bring rounds of snow, ice and rain to the Northeast into the weekend between Christmas and New Year's.
The storm from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day may be the weakest of the bunch, with only sporadic slippery spots. The storm to end the week could be the most disruptive and snowy in the Northeast.
The seemingly harmless expansion of warm air may cause some indirect issues in parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, Great Lakes, Appalachians and to the mid-Atlantic. Just enough moisture may lead to areas of low clouds and fog, which can slow down travel on the roads and at airports.
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By far, though, some of the best weather for travel will be found over the central and southern portions of the Plains and in the southeastern corner of the nation, where the sun will shine in abundance. The potential is there for one of the warmest Christmases on record for portions of the Southern and Central states.
In the Northwest, where some communities are still recovering from flooding last week, the same storm affecting California will send some rain and mountain snow at the region which may also cause additional mudslides and minor flooding. However, the bulk of the rain is likely to remain in California.
Some showers will spill over from California to the interior Southwest. Enough rain could fall on Las Vegas to lead to urban flooding from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.
Where aircraft and crews are displaced by the storm in California, airline delays and flight cancellations may ripple throughout the nation from Wednesday to Friday.
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