(NewsNation) — Millions of Americans are bracing for a system that forecasters are calling one of the strongest winter storms in more than a decade.
The National Weather Service is warning that parts of the East Coast could see its heaviest snowfall in decades. The storm prompted seven states from New Jersey to Kansas to declare states of emergency, with 60 million Americans in the storm’s path.
The storms span from Colorado to Washington, D.C., and the worst of now hitting the Midwest and Mid-South before heading east toward Philadelphia and the I-95 corridor.
Strong winds and freezing temperatures are blasting eastward on Monday.
Over the weekend, wind gusts reaching up to 45 miles an hour were recorded across the Midwest. On the East Coast, temperatures are forecast up to 25 degrees below average. The National Weather Service has warned the Northeast will endure the bitter cold for several days after the storm.
Travel delays due to weather
A ground stop was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration for O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Monday around 6:30 a.m. due to snowy and icy weather conditions. It’s in effect until 9 a.m., officials said.
A ground delay is also in effect at O’Hare until 10 a.m. Monday, with an average delay time of 48 minutes.
In New York, a ground delay is in effect John F. Kennedy International Airport until 9:59 p.m. local time on Monday, with an average delay time of 46 minutes. At LaGuardia Airport, the ground delay is expected to last until 7:59 a.m. local time, with an average delay of 18 minutes.
There are more than 1,400 flight cancellations within, into, or out of the U.S., according to FlightAware. As of Monday morning, 38% of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport scheduled flights were canceled, 24% of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport’s flights, 40% of St. Louis Lambert International Airport’s flights, 35% of Kansas City International Airport’s flights and 34% of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport’s flights.
Major U.S. airlines are issuing travel waivers allowing passengers to rebook without paying the difference at airlines impacted by the weather.
American Airlines has issued a travel advisory, covering 46 airports across 16 states. This alert covers flights in or out of impacted airports from January 4-6. Passengers can rebook to travel by Thursday.
Delta Air Lines has expanded its travel advisory to cover 20 airports. Travelers scheduled to fly through the designated airports from January 4-6, can rebook tickets on flights for travel by Friday.
United Airlines has issued two travel advisories. The first covers 18 airports across seven Midwestern states. Passengers who were booked to fly January 4-6 can rebook for a flight traveling through Jan. 13.
JetBlue Airways’ travel alert will waive change and cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling January 4-6. They can rebook for flights leaving no later than Jan. 15.
Southwest Airlines’ travel advisory covers 16 airports across. Passengers traveling through impacted airports January 4-6 have two weeks to rebook at no charge.
Frontier Airlines issued a travel alert for passengers flying in or out of 10 airports in eight states on January 5 through 6.
Midwest blanketed by record-setting snow
Millions across the Midwest are shoveling themselves out from record-setting snowfall on Monday as the storm heads east.
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a snow emergency on Sunday afternoon that will remain in effect until at least the end of Tuesday. Public schools and non-emergency services are closed.
Heavy snow from the Central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic will bring “damaging ice” and “freezing rain” through late Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow started falling in Utah Saturday, and then began moving east through the Rockies. Salt Lake City picked up more than a foot of snow in a matter of hours.
The first few bands of winter weather caused travel disruptions from Denver through Kansas, creating a bit of a headache for the Kansas City Chiefs football team, whose plane got stuck on the tarmac Saturday for more than three hours due to icy conditions.
The Chiefs landed in Denver late Saturday night ahead of their game Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos.
Crews were working in Kansas City to get the roads ready as people rushed to the stores to stock up on groceries, water, and other essential items.
Kansas City saw a foot of snow in 24 hours. As much as 20 inches of snow is forecast around the Kansas City metro area. City officials said that’s the most they’ve seen there in over 30 years.
“Shelves are empty. These lines are long. Honestly, all we’re trying to do out here is be as nice to each other as possible because we’re all doing the same thing,” said Caitlynn O’Hara, an Instacart shopper.
“I’m telling you, when the milk truck showed up, we were doing everything in our power to get it stocked,” said Karla Quandt, store director of Hy-Vee Grocery Store in Shawnee, Kansas. “The refrigerated truck with the eggs, we were literally pulling that and just stocking as fast as we can.”
Drivers stranded, crash in winter storm
The weather has already wreaked havoc across the Plains and Midwest, causing hundreds of crashes as drivers skidded in the snow and ice.
In western Illinois, a multi-car pileup, including semi trucks, shut down parts of I-70 for hours.
Blizzard warnings are in effect for Kansas City and points west until 3 a.m. local time Monday, and winter storm warnings are in effect for parts of 15 states.
The storm system stretches from the Kansas-Oklahoma border to the Atlantic and is only just ramping up. State officials as far east as Virginia are already urging residents to prepare for a long week.
The winter storm will not directly impact any major airline hubs, so cities like Chicago, Minneapolis and Atlanta will be spared, although conditions at the smaller regional airports may create a trickle-down effect.
Other areas are seeing flight cancellations, however. Across the Midwest, more than half of all flights into and out of Kansas City and St. Louis are canceled Sunday. Cincinnati, Ohio, is also seeing delays piling up.
States of emergency are in effect in Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana as many kids return to school from winter break.
