Wednesday,  Nov. 27, 2013 • Vol. 16--No. 134 • 25 of 36

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Bumpy skies but smooth roads expected for holiday
CARSON WALKER, Associated Press

• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota residents traveling by car this holiday week should have no trouble, but storms elsewhere could impact air travelers connecting to flights through major airline hubs.
• "Around here, there's not going to be too many travel concerns for the Thanksgiving holiday," said Todd Heitkamp, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.
• Temperatures might be a bit below normal, but most of the Northern Plains should be dry, he said.
• That will not be the case everywhere, as a deadly storm that started on the West Coast last week gathers steam and powers toward the East Coast in time for Thanksgiving.
• Snow and ice are expected in the Northeast, and heavy rains are forecast for parts of the Southeast over the coming days.
• Dan Letellier, executive director of the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, said Tuesday flights were still on time, but that could change. The major hubs for Sioux Falls carriers are Minneapolis, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and Dallas.
• "The problems are typically once you get to the hub and your connecting flight to the East Coast or the Southeast is affected," he said.
• Letellier said travelers with a scheduled flight should check its status before leaving home.
• Cameron Humphres, Rapid City Regional Airport executive director, said he expects some flights to be delayed or canceled, but he said the impact shouldn't be extensive.
• "Anytime you have a major storm system that affects the nation's largest hubs, it does have a ripple effect. The farther you get from those hubs, the less impact you have," he said.
• Rapid City's hubs include Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Dallas.
• Gov. Dennis Daugaard asked South Dakotans to wear seatbelts, obey speed limits and avoid distractions as they travel over the Thanksgiving weekend. The state last year had no highway fatalities during the travel reporting period, the first time in a decade that has happened.
• Besides nice weather, drivers who venture out will pay less for gas than in recent

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