As Christmas travel begins, so does rain and wind — and even some thunder

Winter officially starts Friday evening, but if you’re on the move for the holidays, spring-like temperatures and a chance for thunderstorms might make it hard to believe. What NBC Washington meteorologist Chuck Bell dubbed a “massive storm moving up the spine of the Appalachian Mountains” is sure to cause travel woes from the Mid-Atlantic into New England through Saturday. If you’re traveling this weekend, plan accordingly. “Holiday travel will be severely impacted, so leave early and expect widespread delays whether you’re driving, flying or taking the train,” Bell said. Thankfully, none of the major air hubs in the D.C. area were reporting significant delays from storms or rogue drones on Friday morning according to FlightAware, but the nasty weather was far from over. Amtrak trains were running again after a power outage near D.C.’s Union Station temporarily suspended service late Thursday night. Service resumed about four hours later, but Amtrak says passengers should expect residual delays.