It will be a white Christmas in some parts of the Great Plains.
Blizzard warnings affected about 720,000 people from northwestern Kansas and Colorado to much of South Dakota. The National Weather Service saidAt the same time snow and fog affected other parts of the region.
North Platte, Nebraska saw about 2 inches of snow Monday morning, its first white Christmas since 2017, forecasters there said.
It's not all fun: The Nebraska State Patrol posted pictures on social media of tractor-trailers that partially slid off the road, saying the storm was causing problems. On Interstate 80, two big rigs are blocking the freeway as snow drifts over an ice patch.
“Best day to stay inside if travel is not required,” said the law enforcement agency at X.
In central and northern South Dakota, the weather service in Aberdeen said there will be snow showers, followed by blizzards. Drivers were encouraged to carry winter survival gear if they had to drive, with freezing rain and snow in the northeastern part of the state.
“We encourage everyone to stay safe and stay weather alert as severe winter storms move across much of South Dakota,” Governor @GovKristiNoem said in a statement on social media.
For air travel, only 137 cancellations have been made for domestic flights and flights entering and departing the US on Monday. Flight tracking website FlightAware. Delays totaled 1,270.
Southwest led US carriers with 104 cancellations in delays and cancellations on FlightAware. The airline said it was still recovering from heavy fog in Chicago that began Saturday night and prevented flights from landing. It “cancelled 101 flights in advance for Monday” but did not expect major disruptions.
“We expect some additional cancellations today as we work towards a full recovery ahead of Tuesday's operations,” the airline said on Monday.
By Monday, many vacationers had reached their destinations. On Thursday, more than 2.6 million people were screened by the Transportation Security Administration, According to the agency.
Elsewhere, temperatures will be warm for a day associated with snow and candy canes. Cleveland, Ohio, had forecast highs in the 50s to low 60s. Chicago was in the 50s, and Buffalo, New York, was 56 degrees.
Winter weather was forecast for the Pacific Northwest. The weather service in Pendleton, Oregon, is warning of up to a quarter inch of freezing rain in some places through Tuesday morning.
