Nearly 1,300 flights had been canceled by 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to FlightAware, as a storm sweeps across the country.
Major airports, including Chicago O’Hare International Airport, St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Kansas City International Airport, and Detroit Metropolitan Airport had canceled more than usual. Chicago O’Hare had canceled 298 flights while St. Louis had canceled 296. Detroit had canceled 164 flights by Wednesday morning.
Around 90 million people are under winter weather alerts as the storm’s footprint extends from New Mexico to Vermont and as far south as Texas, with the National Weather Service saying temperatures will be 10 to 25 degrees below average.
“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.
The National Weather Service stated that it expects the storm 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.”
A year after Texas experienced extensive freezing temperatures causing the state’s power grid to buckle, Gov. Greg Abbott defended the state’s readiness.
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“No one can guarantee that there won’t be any” outages caused by demand on the power grid, Abbott told ABC News Tuesday. “But what we will work to achieve, and what we’re prepared to achieve is that power is going to stay on across the entire state.”
Many other states are taking steps to prepare for the expected weather.
Missouri is currently under a state of emergency, with school districts and universities canceling classes or shifting to virtual learning.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also issued a state of emergency that suspends size and weight permits for oversized vehicles that transport emergency relief materials.
Illinois’s General Assembly canceled their three-day session this week. The state is expecting ice, high wind gusts, and heavy snow. Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared a state of emergency and activated 130 National Guard soldiers and air personnel to back-up state troopers and assist stranded motorists.
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Parts of Michigan are expecting up to 15 inches of snow by Thursday. The southern part of the state is currently under a winter storm warning.
