Thursday saw almost 3 million individuals passing through TSA checkpoints, marking the second highest screening volume recorded by the agency.
Nearly 44 million individuals are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend, yet severe spring weather is poised to disrupt some festivities with showers and thunderstorms predicted nationwide, accompanied by scorching heat in South Texas and Florida.
The summer season is already in full swing, with nearly 3 million people screened on Thursday at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints — the second-highest volume in the agency’s history. The busiest airports thus far include those in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this Memorial Day weekend is anticipated to be the busiest since 2010, with 53,515 flights on Thursday and 50,129 on Friday.
However, the weather may not cooperate, as heavy rain and severe thunderstorms are forecasted to persist from the Midwest to the southern Plains on Friday, with rainfall rates reaching up to 2 inches per hour.
Approximately 45 million people are at risk from Chicago to Austin, Texas, with the primary threats being damaging hail, strong wind gusts, and the possibility of a few tornadoes.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin until 1 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), with the potential for tornadoes and scattered wind gusts of up to 75 mph.
This situation suggests that major airports in Chicago, St. Louis, and Dallas-Fort Worth could experience significant delays.