
More than 100 million Americans on are under weather warnings as a pair of powerful storms promising several feet of snow and powerful winds across large swaths of the country plunge Thanksgiving travel into chaos - causing over 8,000 flights delays so far with thousands more expected as the holiday approaches.

The majority of the delays reported Tuesday were at Denver International Airport as a strong storm dumped more than a foot of snow in northern Colorado before moving east through the Rocky Mountains and up toward the Great Lakes.

A second major storm is expected to strike the West Coast over Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing 'bomb cyclone' conditions with over two feet of snow to the mountains in the Northwest and possible flash flooding in Southern California.

The National Weather Service described the second storm as 'historic' and said it could rival the strength of a Category 1 hurricane with winds up to 74mph in southwest Oregon and northwest California.

The storm system will then move into the Rockies toward the central US on Thanksgiving and into the weekend before dumping rain on the East Coast on Sunday.

More than 100 million Americans on are under weather warnings as a pair of powerful storms promising several feet of snow and powerful winds across large swaths of the country plunge Thanksgiving travel into chaos - causing over 8,000 flights delays so far with thousands more expected as the holiday approaches. The majority of the delays reported Tuesday were at Denver International Airport (pictured) as a strong storm dumped more than a foot of snow in northern Colorado

Three people dig out of the Green Mountain neighborhood in Colorado where a blizzard warning was issued for the Eastern Plains due to heavy snow and possible wind gusts of up to 40mph

The map above shows expected snowfall nationwide from Tuesday morning through Thursday evening. Over 100 million people in 26 states from California to New York are currently under weather warnings

A strong storm expected to drop up to a foot of snow in parts of Colorado and Wyoming prompted airlines to issue travel alerts Tuesday as the National Weather Service warned of possible blizzards and wintry conditions from Colorado to Michigan

Another major storm is expected to descend on the West Coast over Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing 'bomb cyclone' conditions with over two feet of snow to the mountains in the Northwest and possible flash flooding in Southern California

Snow is currently falling at a rate of three inches per hour across Denver and the surrounding area. University of Northern Colorado student Jared Henderson braves frigid temperatures on the campus in Greeley on Tuesday morning

University of Northern Colorado facilities management staff Francis Garza, left, and Tina Longoria shovel snow from the steps and entranceway to a residence hall in Greeley on Tuesday morning

A home in Boulder, Colorado, is seen surrounded by several feet of powder on Tuesday morning

Nearly two feet of snow - some of it left over from previous snow, was reported in Boulder on Tuesday morning

The back porch at a home in Buffalo Creek, Colorado, located southwest of Denver, is seen covered in several feet of snow

Residents of Golden, Colorado, are seen tracking through waist-deep snow as the storm moved through Tuesday morning

Cars are seen buried under several feet of snow in a residential neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado, on Tuesday

The first storm was expected to move into the Plains later in the day, bringing high wind and more snow to Minnesota, Wisconsin and upper Michigan.

Minneapolis could see more than six inches of snow into Wednesday, along with wind gusts of 35 mph.

The leading edge of the storm system will move into the Mississippi River Valley on Tuesday night with the potential for damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes in parts of Illinois and Missouri.

It could bring another round of snow to the Upper Midwest from Thursday through Saturday, and a chance of snow this weekend in interior New England, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Lamers.

'That could be a coast-to-coast storm,' Lamers said.

The first storm is already underway Tuesday morning as snowfall has been reported around Denver and the surrounding area

The first storm is expected to move into the Plains later in the day, bringing high wind and more snow to Minnesota, Wisconsin and upper Michigan. Minneapolis could see more than six inches of snow into Wednesday, along with wind gusts of 35 mph

Record-low temperatures are expected in several major cities on Thanksgiving thanks to the first of the two storm systems

The second storm, brewing in the Pacific, is expected to hit the West Coast on Tuesday afternoon or evening, bringing snow to the mountains and wind and rain along the coasts of California and Oregon before moving inland by the weekend

HOLIDAY FORECAST Tuesday, November 26: Snowstorms are expected to hit the Sierra Nevada and Rocky mountains as well as portions of the Great Plains. Rain is due in the Midwest and Mississippi Valley. Wednesday, November 27: A storm bringing rain is expected to batter most of the East, the Great Lakes will be windy and gusty, the Upper Midwest will be snowy, and precipitation is expected in the West and Southwest. Thursday, November 28: The West and the Great Plains will be blanketed by either rain or snow on Thanksgiving. Friday, November 29: The massive storm system stretching from California through the Great Plains will move eastward. Saturday, November 30: The storm continues to move east, this time dumping rain in the Midwest and Southeast. Parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are likely to see snowfall. Advertisement

It also could mean disappointment for fans of the larger-than-life balloons flown at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

Organizers were preparing for the possibility that they'll have to ground the iconic balloon characters, given 40-50 mph gusts in the forecast.

Rules put in place after several people were injured by a balloon years ago require lower altitudes or full removal if sustained winds exceed 23 mph and gusts exceed 34 mph.

The decision will be made on parade day.

The Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area could see its biggest November snowfall in nearly a decade, and travel is northwestern Wisconsin 'is going to be chaotic', said National Weather Service meteorologist Brent Hewett.

The Minneapolis airport could be hit, but Chicago, with its two big airports, should only see rain from the storm, weather service officials said.

The second storm, brewing in the Pacific, is expected to hit the West Coast on Tuesday afternoon or evening, bringing snow to the mountains and wind and rain along the coasts of California and Oregon.

Meterologists have warned that southern Oregon will likely see one of the coldest Thanksgiving Days on record following weeks of mild fall weather.

Dangerous winds from the gathering storm on Monday flipped a tractor-trailer, downed power lines and temporarily closed a stretch of US Highway 6 south of Yosemite National Park near Bishop, California.

That storm is expected to move inland by Thursday, crossing the US and landing on the East Coast by the end of the weekend.

A low pressure system will move into the West Coast beginning late Tuesday, bringing wet conditions through the weekend

Weather warnings are in effect across more than half of the country Tuesday morning, including major transport hubs such as Los Angeles, Denver, Minneapolis, and Chicago

The National Weather Service released the map above showing forecasted precipitation across the US through Thanksgiving

This month, AAA predicted that the number of travelers over a five-day stretch starting Wednesday will be the second-highest, behind only 2005, despite rising costs for a road trip.

At the start of the week, a gallon of regular cost $2.59, up three cents from a year ago, and rental cars averaged around $75 a day - their highest Thanksgiving price since AAA started keeping track in 1999.

Hotel rooms are a mixed bag, with prices falling from last year at highly rated hotels but rising slightly at midrange ones.

People might feel they can afford a trip because of low unemployment, rising household net worth, and the stock market´s continuing strength.

For those who are flying, the airlines expect traffic to be up about four percent from this time last year.

On Tuesday, travel delays are expected on the West Coast, the Great Plains, and the Upper Midwest

Wednesday is likely to see considerable delays in airports across the country

Thanksgiving Day is usually a light travel day for the airlines, but delays are still expected in the West as well as Texas

Most of the country will be blanketed by either rain or snow on the day after Thanksgiving, though the coastal regions are not forecast to be impacted by the weather

Saturday will also see substantial precipitation in much of the country

Rain and snow in the Northwest, Midwest, Northeast and the South could stall travel at the end of the holiday weekend

The arrivals board shows cancelled flights after a pre-Thanksgiving holiday snowstorm caused more than 460 flight cancellations at Denver International Airport on Tuesday

Airlines added about 850 flights and 108,000 seats per day on average to handle the increase over last year´s crowds, according to the trade group Airlines for America.

Airline travel before Thanksgiving tends to be spread out over several days, but most people want to go home on the Sunday or Monday after the holiday.

American Airlines plans to operate 7,046 flights Sunday, just one less than on August 8, its heaviest schedule this year.

In all, 22 of American's 23 busiest days occurred during the summer vacation season, with this Sunday being the only exception.

'Everybody talks about Thanksgiving being a busy travel time, but summer is Thanksgiving week for the entire summer,' Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the airline, told AP.

An American Airlines flight lands at Denver International Airport where flights were delayed or rescheduled due to the winter storm that blanketed the city in snow

A snow plow clears the roadways at Denver International Airport

A traffic camera captures the chaos in Northern California where cars and trucks were at a standstill as multiple cars spun out in heavy snowfall

A truck rests across two lanes of Interstate 25 in Denver after nearly a foot of snow fell in the metro districts