More than 9,000 weekend flights canceled as hurricane-strength ice storm prompts warnings for half the U.S.

A massive storm system, anticipated to cause extensive damage by cutting power for days and disrupting major highways, has led to the cancellation of more than 9,000 flights scheduled for the weekend throughout the United States.

Approximately 140 million individuals from New Mexico to New England were under a winter storm warning. The National Weather Service’s prediction alerts the public to extensive heavy snowfall and a significant band of destructive ice extending from East Texas to North Carolina.

Meteorologists indicate that the damage, particularly in regions heavily impacted by ice, could be severe.

According to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, ice and sleet that struck northern Texas overnight advanced into the central portion of the state on Saturday.

The agency stated that “Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills are spreading into the area and will remain in place into Monday.” Temperatures are forecast to be primarily in the single digits for the coming nights, accompanied by wind chills plunging as low as minus 12 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 24 Celsius).

As of 8 a.m. ET, approximately 68,000 power outages were reported nationwide, with around 27,600 occurring in Texas. Snow and sleet persisted in Oklahoma.

The weather service projected that after moving across the South, the storm would advance into the Northeast, depositing around a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Washington through New York and Boston. Following days of heavy snowfall, temperatures in rural Lewis County and other sections of upstate New York dropped to minus 29 F (minus 34 C) just before dawn.

Governors in over a dozen states issued warnings about the impending severe weather, declaring states of emergency or advising citizens to remain indoors.

On the social media platform X, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott informed residents that the state Department of Transportation was pretreating roadways and urged them, “Stay home if possible.”

FlightAware, a flight tracking website, reported that more than 3,300 flights were delayed or canceled on Saturday. Close to 6,000 flights were canceled for Sunday.

Angela Exstrom, who was scheduled to return to Omaha, Nebraska, from a vacation in Mexico, discovered her Saturday flight from Houston was canceled. Consequently, she is rerouting her return journey through Los Angeles.

“If you live in the Midwest and travel in the winter, stuff can happen,” she remarked.

Frigid temperatures and ice

Utility companies prepared for prolonged outages, as trees and power lines coated in ice can continue to fall long after the storm has ended.

Wind chills in the Midwest dropped as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), a level at which frostbite can occur within 10 minutes.

In Bismarck, North Dakota, where the wind chill reached minus 41 (minus 41 Celsius), Colin Cross was heavily layered in long johns, two long-sleeve shirts, a jacket, hat, hood, gloves, and boots while he cleaned an empty unit at the apartment complex where he is employed.

“I’ve been here awhile and my brain stopped working,” Cross said.

For days, the storm has been a frequent subject of conversation at the Saint Paul Mini Market in Baltimore.

“Every single person that walks in talks about the storm,” stated owner Ayaz Ahmed.

“Somehow, this time around, they did a good job letting people know that here’s a storm coming their way, and everybody knows about the storm, but how to deal with that is another thing,” Ahmed commented.

Government prepares to respond

The federal government placed nearly 30 search and rescue teams on standby. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, officials prepositioned more than 7 million meals, 600,000 blankets, and 300 generators across the regions expected to be affected by the storm.

In a social media post on Friday, President Donald Trump said his administration was coordinating with state and local officials and that “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”

Recovery will be slow after the storm subsides. Ice accumulation can add hundreds of pounds to power lines and tree branches, increasing their likelihood of breaking, particularly in windy conditions.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that a majority of homes in at least 11 Southern states, from Texas to Virginia, rely on electricity for heating.

A severe winter storm five years ago crippled much of the region’s power grid, leaving millions without electricity for days and causing hundreds of fatalities. Gov. Abbott pledged to prevent a recurrence, and utility companies were deploying thousands of additional workers to help maintain essential services.

Church, and classes canceled

Churches shifted Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, opted to conduct its Saturday night radio broadcast without a live audience. Carnival parades in Louisiana were either canceled or postponed.

Philadelphia declared that schools would be closed on Monday. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. advised students, “It’s also appropriate to have one or two very safe snowball fights.”

Several universities in the South canceled Monday classes, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.

At the University of Georgia in Athens, sophomore Eden England chose to remain on campus with friends to wait out the storm, despite the university’s recommendation for students to leave dorms and return home due to potential power loss.

“I’d rather be with my friends,” England said, “kind of struggling together if anything happens.”

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Megnien and Amy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers around the country contributed.