CNN
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Storms in the western and southern United States are threatening flight delays as millions of holiday travelers prepare to end the year.

In what is expected to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, the South is expected to be hit by another round of severe thunderstorms on Saturday, with strong tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail from Louisiana to Alabama, the National Weather Service said. Elsewhere in the country, a series of Pacific storm systems will continue to batter the West into the weekend, with periods of strong winds, low-elevation precipitation and heavy snow in the mountains, the weather service said.

After nearly 800 flights within, to or from the United States were canceled on Thursday, more than 60 have already been canceled for Friday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

On Friday – one of the three busiest travel days of the season – the Storm Prediction Center is warning of a few strong to locally severe thunderstorms for parts of the central Gulf Coast, including parts of Louisiana and the Florida panhandle, as well as central Mississippi and Alabama. Large hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes are possible.

Through Saturday, the severe weather threat will increase from north-central Louisiana to west-central Alabama.

“We are becoming increasingly concerned that there will be a lot of storms there Saturday with a risk of severe weather,” said weather service meteorologist Evan Bentley. “As it is a fairly active time of year for leisure travel, we want to ensure that anyone staying in or traveling through this corridor is aware of the weather hazard.”

Thursday brought stormy weather across the South, with some storm damage and possible tornado sightings in parts of Texas and Louisiana.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency resources Thursday to prepare for severe weather conditions, he announced on X.

“As Texans and out-of-state visitors begin traveling after the Christmas holiday, it is critical that everyone regularly monitor road conditions, prepare an emergency plan and follow guidance from state and local officials,” Abbott said in a news release.

Travelers’ plans were also thwarted in New Jersey, where a gaping sinkhole opened along Interstate 80 in Wharton, prompting the state Department of Transportation to close the eastbound highway for emergency repairs.

The storm is raging across the United States as record numbers of travelers are expected by the end of 2024, according to AAA. The association expects that from December 21 to January 1, 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home. That is 3 million more travelers than in the same period last year.

The Transportation Security Administration expects nearly 40 million people to be screened from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2, a 6% increase from last year. The busiest travel days will include Friday and Monday, the TSA said.

While much of the flight cancellations in the U.S. on Thursday were related to the Dallas-Fort Worth destination or departure, the series of storms could impact the East Coast through Sunday, potentially causing further delays in other parts of the country for those flying from the Travel home for vacation.

Meanwhile, an active weather pattern on the West Coast is bringing coastal rainfall, gusty winds, mountain snowfall and dangerous waves across the region as leisure travelers head home this weekend.

The Wharton County Sheriff’s Office in Texas said three tornadoes appeared to have touched down in the county, with damage reported to several buildings near the town of El Campo on Thursday.

One of the possible tornadoes touched down near Highway 59 and damaged some barns, the Wharton County Office of Emergency Management said on Facebook.

Reid Strnadel, who runs a farm and ranch that has been in his family for 80 years, told CNN affiliate KHOU that a tornado blew up one of the family’s barns, sending pieces of tin and wood flying hundreds of feet .

“I couldn’t believe it,” Strnadel said. “I’ve never seen a tornado before…Hurricanes are all we really experience down here.”

Additionally, a wall of one of their barns was torn down and the roof of another was lifted off, moving a boat that Strandnadel had stored inside, he told KHOU.

But Stradnel said “it could have been worse” as both his family and livestock were unharmed by the hurricane.

Elsewhere in Texas, a Harris County home was damaged and a United States Postal Service truck overturned during Thursday’s storm, KHOU reported. And in Liberty County, a large tree fell and crashed into an elderly couple’s home.

Humid travel conditions will continue Friday and rain is expected to extend from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast on Friday. Temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees above normal in the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes.

After there was only a small risk of severe storms in the south on Friday, the danger is expected to increase again on Saturday. The weather service said damaging winds, hail and tornadoes could occur in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Saturday.

There is a risk of Level 3 out of 5 severe thunderstorms Saturday from north-central Louisiana across much of central Mississippi and well into west-central Alabama, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

“It appears that all severe weather modes and hazards could occur, including large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes, as storms develop steadily from east to northeast Saturday afternoon and Saturday night,” the center warned.

Cities most at risk include Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi. Cities like Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, Birmingham and Montgomery have a lower chance of storms on Saturday.

At least some risk of severe weather is expected across the Southeast on Sunday, although the risk is expected to decrease by early next week, according to the weather service. Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia are most at risk of severe storms on Sunday.

Rain and snow continue to pound the west coast

A stormy pattern continues across the western United States over the weekend. Mountain snow, coastal and lowland rain, and windy conditions will impact the Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains Friday and this weekend.

High wind warnings are in effect for the lower elevations of the Northwest, Northern California and parts of the Rocky Mountains, where winds of 40 to 60 mph and isolated gusts of more than 75 mph are expected.

“Damaging winds will knock down trees and power lines. Large-scale power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles,” the National Weather Service warned.

The winds are causing high waves across most of the West Coast, where a number of warnings are in effect for high surf and coastal flooding.

Winter weather advisories are in effect for portions of the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains as bouts of moisture continue to hit the West. Snowfall of 6 to 18+ inches and gusts potentially exceeding 70 mph could reduce visibility, make travel nearly impossible, and cause damage to trees and power lines.

The next in a series of atmospheric river-borne storms is expected to bring another round of coastal and valley precipitation, mountain snowfall, gusty winds and high surf to the West on Friday, while more storms are likely to impact the region on Saturday and Sunday become.

By the end of the weekend, the lower elevations of the Washington and Oregon Cascades and the coastal mountains of northwestern California into the northern Sierra are likely to see 3 to 5 inches of precipitation, with isolated amounts of more than 10 inches, while snow totals of 1 to 5 Inches is 3 feet is likely at the highest elevations in the Northwest. Wet weather across the Northwest could also lead to river flooding and mudslides, the weather service warned.