ATLANTA – If you’re flying out of or through Atlanta ahead of Thanksgiving, prepare for potential delays at the world’s busiest airport.

Possible travel delays in Atlanta

What they’re saying:

Storms moving into Georgia on Tuesday could create travel headaches at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to the FOX 5 Storm Team.

“It’s beautiful today — clear skies, sunshine, and mild temperatures — but that’s going to change,” said FOX 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alex Forbes. “We’ve got another cold front coming in that’s going to bring the risk for some stronger storms on Tuesday.”

The National Weather Service and FOX 5 Storm Team are tracking a system that could bring damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour, hail up to one inch in diameter, and frequent lightning.
Rain chances are expected to reach 70% Tuesday, with most of metro Atlanta likely seeing three-quarters of an inch to an inch of rainfall, and some isolated areas nearing two inches.

“The rain chance on Tuesday is going to be at 70%,” Forbes said. “There’s a better chance than not of seeing some rain. In an extreme instance, you might see upwards of about two inches.”

The timing of the storms could coincide with one of the busiest travel days of the year.

“We’re going to see scattered showers and storms over the airport at some point, maybe at several points,” Forbes explained. “Planes can’t get through fronts — they go around them — so you’re going to be looking at longer flight times from any cities that are on the other side of that boundary: Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Louisville.”

Add in the holiday crowds, and even small disruptions could ripple through the national flight network.

“Mix into that the number of people flying, the number of planes in the air, and then, oh, by the way, it’s going to storm at Hartsfield–Jackson at some point,” Forbes said. “So Tuesday at the airport, we might have some visitors spending the night with us here in the Atlanta area.”

Clear, seasonable Thanksgiving in Atlanta

What’s next:

The good news: once the front moves through Tuesday night, skies will clear and temperatures will drop sharply — setting up a chilly but calm Thanksgiving Day.

“We clear out for Thanksgiving,” Forbes said. “Then it’s smooth sailing into next weekend.”