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Home / Millions of Americans are urged to stay home on Labor Day as floods and health warnings wreck travel

Millions of Americans are urged to stay home on Labor Day as floods and health warnings wreck travel

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Americans have been warned to stay off the roads to protect their health and avoid flooding caused by thunderstorms during one of the busiest travel days in years.

As 148 million Americans are set to travel over the Labor Day holiday, which ends on Wednesday, officials are telling the general public to avoid driving due to concerns over high air pollution levels, according to Newsweek.

The millions of people traveling may also be faced with huge delays due to flood threats across portions of the Great Plains and Florida, according to the New York Post. 

Some area of the Great Plains could see one to two inches of rain, and cities like Kansas City and Nashville are at risk of even heavier downpours.

NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) highlighted areas of the central and northern Great Plains, as well as parts of the Tennessee Valley, in a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood threat Monday. 

Parts of southern New Mexico and Arizona, as well as western and southern Texas, have been placed in a Level 1 flood threat. 

Florida also faces a flash flood and thunderstorm threat. The WPC placed most of the Florida Peninsula at a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood risk this week.

Meanwhile, widespread air-quality alerts have been issued across Oregon, Arizona, and Idaho by the National Weather Service, warning that ground-level ozone and particulate pollution (often from wildfire smoke) are expected to reach unhealthy levels. 

The NWS warned that the general public as well as vulnerable groups, including children, seniors and individuals with preexisting respiratory or heart conditions, may see health effects linked to poor air quality in the affected regions. 

'Pollutants in smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose, aggravate heart and lung diseases, and aggravate other serious health problems,' the agency said. 

'Limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it is smoky. Please follow medical advice if you have a heart or lung condition.' 

In Arizona's Phoenix metro area, a high ozone advisory was put in place through Tuesday due to expected ozone levels exceeding health standards.

'Ozone is an air contaminant which can cause breathing difficulties for children, older adults, as well as persons with respiratory problems. A decrease in physical activity is recommended,' the NWS said. 

'You are urged to car pool, telecommute or use mass transit. The use of gasoline-powered equipment should be reduced or done late in the day.' 

Meanwhile, in Oregon, an air quality advisory is in effect until 11am Tuesday for Klamath and Deschutes counties, including the cities of Bend and Richmond. 

'Wildfires burning in the region combined with forecast conditions will cause air quality to reach unhealthy levels,' the NWS said. 

The Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho has issued an air quality advisory until 10am Tuesday due to the wildfire smoke. 

Air quality in this area is in the 'moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups' range. 

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, and many Americans are expected to return home from holiday getaways this week.

According to a recent poll from travel site the Vacationer, over half of all Americans - around 148 million people - were planning to travel over the Labor Day holiday weekend. 

For Americans who don't have the option to avoid driving, the American Automobile Association (AAA) recommended departing before 11am local time on Sunday and before noon on Monday to avoid the busiest traffic. 

The worst times to travel are between 12pm and 5pm Sunday and between 1pm and 4pm on Monday. 

These delays might drag until Tuesday, when late vacationers return. 

'On Sunday, you could see it slow down a little bit, and then it heats back up again on Monday when people are all coming home at once, and even into Tuesday a little bit,' AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman Jim Garrity said. 

'Prices on plane tickets, prices on rental cars, and prices on hotels are all lower domestically, and that's giving people a little bit more of a reason to head out to the airport,' he added. 

The Transportation Security Administration projected crowded airports, estimating that 17.4 million people would travel by air from Thursday, August 28, through Wednesday, September 3.

The busiest of those days was projected to be Friday, August 29, with an estimated three million travelers. 

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