My friend just called to wish me a Happy New Year… from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. No kidding. The poor thing is sitting in an airport on New Year’s Eve on her way back from spending Christmas with her brother in Colorado. She’s been waiting 3 hours for her now twice delayed connecting flight back to Wisconsin. If she’s lucky she’ll land here by next year.
Mother Nature has not been kind to holiday travelers this year. Bad weather has made the busy travel season difficult for flyers from coast to coast. Making matters worse is a new report from the National Weather Service that says most of Michigan, Ohio and New England will receive 3 to 6 inches of snow today and Tuesday, and weather could continue to deteriorate in those areas on Wednesday, the day after New Year’s, which is expected to be the heaviest travel day of the holidays.
Frankly, I’m not surprised my friend’s flight is delayed. On Friday nearly 300 flights were canceled at O’Hare and delays averaged 30 to 45 minutes. I’m sure they are still dealing with a backlog of passengers from the weekend. Closer to my home both runways at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport were closed due to snow for three hours this weekend. It was the same story in Madison where two of three runways were closed at the Dane County Regional Airport causing massive delays and several cancellations.
The roads across our state have been no picnic for holiday travelers either. A couple days ago a tractor-trailer truck jackknifed and rolled over on a highway near Madison spilling 50,000 gallons of condensed milk and 90 gallons of diesel fuel.
On the bright side the weather seems to be cooperating for the million or so New Year’s Eve revelers who plan to watch the ball drop in New York’s Times Square tonight. The forecast for midnight in Manhattan is for temperatures in the mid-30s and a few clouds. Likewise, in Annapolis, Maryland, hundreds of thousands of partygoers set to ring in 2008 at the city’s annual First Night celebration will have temperatures near 40 degrees. Forecasters say families venturing out to view Denver’s New Year’s Eve fireworks shows — at 9 p.m. and again at midnight — will have clear skies and cold temps. Meanwhile, meteorologists say the temperatures will be about 55 degrees in San Diego and 72 degrees in Miami when the New Year arrives.
Whenever you are spending your New Year’s Eve (hopefully not in an airport terminal) here’s hoping your return trip home is a safe one.
Happy New Year!
Related Articles:
Where Are You Ringing in 2008?
Ringing in the New Year at a Hotel
Look What’s New for New York’s New Year’s Eve Ball Drop
Ringing in 2008 in New Orleans on a Full Stomach
Counting Down to 2008 in the Windy City
Ringing in the New Year in Chicago
Mother Nature vs. Holiday Travelers