Midwest snowstorm and thunderstorms in South slow pre-holiday t

Thanksgiving weekend travelers crowded airports, bus and train stations, and highways Wednesday, putting up with tight security and bad weather that included heavy snow in the nation's midsection and thunderstorms in the South.

According to a survey conducted for AAA by the Travel Industry Association of America, 30.6 million people, or 3 percent more than in 2003, were expected to hit the road during the holiday weekend, even with gasoline prices nearly one-third higher than a year ago. An additional 6.6 million are likely to travel by plane, train or bus.

By mid-afternoon, snow was falling from Michigan into Kansas, where more than 7 inches of snow had fallen outside Kansas City.

Highways were bumper-to-bumper in Georgia as motorists faced thunderstorms and a threat of tornadoes, part of a system that killed four people elsewhere in the South.

"We're seeing some hectic and chaotic driving situations -- the road rage, the rear endings, people not allowing other motorists to change lanes," said Georgia State Patrol Trooper Larry Schnall. "We feel the weather is playing a big role in it."

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, many flights were delayed and a few were diverted because of the severe weather in the region.

Linsdell and Rita Pikes arrived in Atlanta more than an hour behind schedule on their flight from Baton Rouge, La.

"We had a little delay when we left and we had to make a few circles when we got here," Pikes said. "We've seen so many of those planes waiting to take off, it wasn't funny. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes."

Security was visibly tighter at Washington's Reagan National Airport and lines snaked two-thirds of the way down the main concourse.

In Chicago, the first snow of the season caused delays up to three hours at O'Hare International Airport and some flight cancelations. City officials expect more than 1.4 million travelers to pass through O'Hare by Sunday night.