Thanksgiving Travel: Crowds, Weather Ease On Friday

W​hile airport crowds eased Thursday, the busiest day of Thanksgiving travel may be yet to come.

R​ecord travel is possible at U.S. airports this weekend and millions will take to the roads.

Sunday is projected to be the busiest day ever recorded at U.S. airports by the Transportation Security Administration agents, and several major metro areas were expected to reach their peak holiday week congestion periods on Thursday and Friday. TSA Administrator David P. Pekoske urged travelers to arrive at the airport 2 hours early Sunday.

(​MORE: Thanksgiving Weekend Forecast)

F​riday Travel Could Be Impacted By Rain And Snow

F​riday is expected to be the busiest shopping day of the year, though analysts expect much holiday shopping will be done online. However, if you're traveling by car, it's worth considering that you may run into shopping crowds.

F​or air travelers, the most concerning weather will be in parts of the Mountain West. Snow could cause air travel delays in Denver and Salt Lake City.

Wet roads can be expected in parts of Florida, including Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa.

From weather.com digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles: As you turn your gaze toward shopping between Black Friday and Cyber Monday or just the trip home, we'll be watching a storm system dip into the Central US. Snow will fall between Utah and Missouri or Illinois to start the weekend as a new storm moves east. Rain will also dampen much of the South from Texas to Georgia this weekend, and the East at the end of the weekend.

The worst of the weather on the return home will likely be on the Interstate 80 or 25 corridors in Wyoming, but weather into neighboring parts of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska won't be a joke either. Heavy snow and some breezy conditions are possible.

There are no weather worries on the West Coast or in the Northern Plains this weekend, although a flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles might be in order as cooler temperatures arrive up north. That would be a change from mid-30s to the low-70s in the afternoon. If you want to avoid the cold altogether, highs nearing 80 degrees are on order along and south of the Interstate 4 corridor in central Florida. The I-95 corridor should also remain relatively worry-free most of the weekend, but watch the forecast for a few showers by late Sunday.

H​ere's what was happening in holiday travel on Thanksgiving Day:

The Best And Worst Times To Drive

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. is the worst time to hit the road on Thanksgiving day, according to a report from AAA. Thursday is when areas around Boston, Tampa and Orlando were expected to hit their peak congestion for the holiday week.

P​eak congestion is projected Friday between Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama; Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado; and Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota.

H​ere's a look at our updates from throughout the day Wednesday:

T​urbulence Could Be An Issue In Northeast

More from Belles: Even though much of the rain and snow was moving off of the East Coast, some of the energy lags behind. A streak of strong winds could cause some air traffic to bump around over the Northeast through this evening. Transatlantic flights from New York or Boston will encounter this dynamic system over the next day or two.

Slight D​eparture Delays In Seattle

As of about 1:40 p.m. EST, take offs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were being held up by about 15 minutes due to low cloud cover, according to the FAA.

Weather Shouldn't Be An Issue For Macy's Parade

F​rom senior meteorologist Jon Erdman: The weather looked fine for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Plenty of sunshine with temperatures in the upper 40s. Northwest winds around 10 mph should linger, but weren't expected to be problematic for the balloons.

W​inter Weather Terms To Know

F​rom digital meteorologist Madeline Scheinost: Just one degree difference in temperature can determine whether precipitation falls as rain, freezing rain, sleet or snow. With parameters that close, it's important heading to winter to know the difference between a blizzard and nor'easter, or between freezing fog and an ice storm. We break it all down for you here.

Yes, You Can Bring A Green Bean Casserole On Your Flight

-Baked goods including homemade or store-bought pies, cakes and cookies.

-Meats including frozen, cooked or raw turkey.

-Cooked, uncooked, boxed or bagged stuffing.

-Casseroles, to include the traditional green bean or sweet potato.

W​ind Causing Some Delays In Houston

As of about 11:45 a.m., departures at George Bush Intercontinental Airport were being delayed by about 15 minutes due to winds.

Ground Stops Reported at LaGuardia, Some Delays In Newark, Salt Lake City

Slowdowns were reported this morning at LaGuardia and Newark airports, due to cloud cover and high volume. As of about 11 a.m. EST, Salt Lake City was reporting delays due to deicing, according to the FAA.

S​unday Could Be A Record Day For Airport Travel

If TSA’s Sunday prediction of 2.9 million passengers at U.S. airports pans out, it would be a record day for air travel. Here are the Top 5 airport screening days ever recorded by the TSA:

-June 30, 2023, with 2.88 million passengers

-Dec. 1, 2019, also with with 2.88 million passengers

-July 30, 2023, with 2.81 million passengers

-July 23, 2023, with 2.80 million passengers

-Oct. 15, 2023, with 2.79 million passengers

M​ore Thanksgiving Articles And Videos

-Sweet Season Soured? Dry Conditions Cut Sugar Supply

-Gobble Up These Climate-Friendly Thanksgiving Tips

-Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: A Look Back In Photos

-Thanksgiving Dinner Will Cost Less This Year, Farm Bureau Says

-‘Tis The Season For Safe Holiday Decorating

Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.