Winter storm threatens to derail holiday plans for millions of Americans

An arctic cold snap came to vast swathes of the U.S. on Wednesday. Much of the country is engulfed by freezing temperatures and life-threatening winds ahead of a powerful winter storm that is expected to make holiday travel difficult for millions of Americans.

Extreme weather warnings affected about 200 million people as cold air masses descended from the Northern Plains, causing temperatures to plummet, National Weather Service forecaster Bob Oravek said.

The extreme weather coincided with the start of the holiday travel season, which could be one of the busiest in decades. According to the American Automobile Association, about 113 million people could hit the road more than 60 miles from home starting Friday if weather doesn’t interfere with their plans.

“We had a great Thanksgiving week with minimal disruption. Unfortunately, it looks like things will be different for Christmas,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigich told MSNBC.

The impending storm could bring a lot of snow to the Upper Midwest from Wednesday through Friday, with blizzards likely to cover the area from the Northern Plains to the Great Lakes.

Cold wind and freeze warnings have been issued for many parts of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama.

FlightAware’s flight tracking service says the number of cancelled flights scheduled for Wednesday through Friday is growing.

Several U.S. airlines, including Delta, United Airlines and American Airlines, have announced cancellation of flight change fees and surcharges for ticket price differences for passengers in some affected areas.