Extreme Weather Forecasts Threaten Summer Travel

Image: Hurricane season could be busy in 2024. (Photo Credit: ronniechua/Adobe Stock)
Image: Hurricane season could be busy in 2024. (Photo Credit: ronniechua/Adobe Stock)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Sun June 16, 2024

‘How’s the weather’ is no longer just an ice-breaker in a conversation.

These days, it’s a legitimate life-threatening concern and could very easily cause chaos and disrupt travel. At the least.

We have all experienced one form or another of topsy-turvy weather this month, and it’s not going to stop.

As summer travel season approaches, forecasters are calling for extreme weather this week that could strand several thousand travelers.

Already we have seen an abundance of tornadoes in the Midwest, record heat, a deluge of rain in the south that has shut down airports, especially in South Florida where almost a foot and a half of rain has fallen, and now a heat dome is expected to hover over the northeast.

There was even a mudslide in Wyoming and Idaho that triggered the collapse of a portion of highway that has halted tourism and transportation.

There is always the risk of wildfires and the Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be among the worst.

Be Diligent and Check Ahead

If ever there was a need to check your travel plans, this is it.

Temperatures are expected to rise 15 to 25 degrees in the northeast this week because of the heat dome, and even without the presence of the elements and precipitation, air travel is dicey. If not the airplanes themselves, but the runways are at risk.

Combined with humidity, the heat is expected to rise into the triple digits as far north as Maine. The heat, in fact, is so dangerous that it causes more deaths each year in the United States than hurricanes and tornadoes combined.

And speaking of hurricanes, there are already storms and tropical depressions that are beginning to form in the Gulf of Mexico that could affect the United States.

When traveling, check the weather and check with your airline or cruise line for any delays and cancelations.

 


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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