FENTON, Mo. — Thursday's below-freezing temperatures and snowy conditions are changed people’s holiday travel plans.
Drivers were eager to hit the road Friday. Many are wanting to make up lost time after Thursday.
“It’s what they made Netflix for, right?" traveler Luke Dierker said.
His perspective was one way to look at Thursday’s severe weather.
“I think the biggest thing too is just how cold it got so fast," Morgan Dierker said.
Luke and Morgan Dierker waited until Friday to hit the road because they say they didn't want to risk any of Thursday's conditions.
"It's blinking cold out there!" traveler Stuart Ransonette said.
He was traveling from Northwest Arkansas to Nashville. The severe weather caused him to have to take a longer route to get there, bringing them to a pit stop at Wally's in Fenton.
Road travel
Wally’s was filled with travelers like the Ransonettes whose holiday travel looked a little different this year.
"Our family is down in Texas and we can't get there, so we decided to go to Nashville," he said.
Wally's Guest Services Manager Mark Koenig says they're expecting lots of business for the rest of the weekend.
"Yesterday was really slow," he said. "With the cold weather, everyone was just hunkering down and not traveling much."
But travelers were back to pit stopping at Wally’s Friday.
"It's actually been picking up today," he said.
Although it wasn’t Christmas as normal for the Ransonettes, it’s definitely one they’ll remember.
“I think because of all the wrecks on the road, we made the better choice," Ransonette said. "It's very different for us. I'm not used to single-digit temps."
Airline travel
Drivers weren't the only ones facing travel complications. Thousands of flights were canceled or delayed due to the weather as well.
There were 173 delays at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Of the flights departing St. Louis, 24% were canceled and 33% were delayed. Of arrivals, 20% were canceled and 36% were delayed.