www.nbcnews.com
Flights canceled as states from New Mexico to Vermont brace for winter storm
Airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights for Wednesday as states across the country brace for a major winter storm expected to bring heavy snow and freezing rain.
Local
Around 100 million people were under winter weather alerts stretching over 2,000 miles from New Mexico to Maine Wednesday as a massive winter storm tore through the Plains.
The major storm system is expected to bring heavy snow, freezing rain and travel chaos to states across the country, prompting emergency declarations, school closures and flight cancellations.
More than 1,400 flights within, into and out of the United States were cancelled for Wednesday as of 9 a.m. ET, according to flight tracker FlightAware. A number of airlines, including American, United and Delta Air Lines issued waivers allowing travelers who may be affected by the storm to rebook their trips at no extra cost.
The storm system has been slow-moving, making its way from the east in the Rockies to the Interstate 95 corridor and New England through to Friday, according to the National Weather Service. It's expected to impact much of the central and northeastern U.S. through Thursday morning, prompting winter weather warnings and school closures.
"This winter storm will bring a variety of winter weather hazards, including heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain," the National Weather Service said in a Wednesday update.
According to the weather service, the storm system is expected to be "prolonged with several rounds of winter weather lasting through Thursday for portions of the central U.S. before shifting to the interior Northeast."
As of early Wednesday morning, about 4 inches of snow had already fallen in the Chicago area, with more on the way.
Overall, snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches are possible for the Windy City, as well as in Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo and Burlington.
Heavy snow was expected over the Southern Rockies and from the Southern/Central Plains, as well as in the Middle Mississippi Valley through the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley and Interior Northeast, the National Weather Service said.
A corridor of heavy ice accumulation is also considered likely from Texas through the Ohio River Valley, with ice accumulations of half an inch possible for parts of southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, eastern Tennessee, eastern Kentucky southern Ohio and northern West Virginia.