More than 1,000 flights cancelled in U.S. as major winter storm looms | CBC News

Brutal winter weather bringing snow, dangerous gusts of wind and bitter cold settled over much of the northern United States on Wednesday, shutting down roadways and businesses and leading to flight cancellations.

Airlines cancelled more than 1,000 flights in the U.S. on Wednesday as a strong winter storm makes its way through the western and central states.

A total of 1,035 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were cancelled by 9:15 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, which showed 932 flights were delayed.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a tweet on Tuesday that the severe weather could cause flight delays or cancellations this week in Minnesota and other states in the Great Lakes and southern plains.

The departure board for Toronto’s Pearson airport showed cancellations Wednesday for Air Canada Jazz flights to Minneapolis.

Many classes throughout the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin were called off for Wednesday, ahead of the storm. Offices closed, and so did the Minnesota legislature. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem shut down state executive branch offices in several parts of the state, and employees were working remotely.

In Wyoming, virtually every road was impacted, and many were closed. Officials warned they may stay that way for days.

“Please change travel plans if your are coming towards Wyoming, waiting to go west from Cheyenne or Laramie on I-80, or waiting to go east on I-80 from Rock Springs,” the Wyoming Department of Transportation posted on Facebook. “A major winter storm and multi-day closures are likely on Interstates and secondary roads throughout Wyoming!”

Michelle Wilson said business was slow at the Denny’s where she works in Fargo, N.D., where the morning temperature was -24 C. Wilson wasn’t surprised — people know better than to venture out when the weather turns this dangerous.

“When the wind picks up and you’re in a flat land like North Dakota, it’s whiteout conditions immediately,” Wilson said.

The snowfall could be historic, even in a region accustomed to heavy snow, with the heaviest amounts forecast for east-central Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area could see 61 centimetres of snow or more for the first time in over 30 years.

Icy conditions could wreak havoc in some locations

At C&S Supply, an employee-owned hardware store in Mankato, Minn., manager Corey Kapaun said demand was high for salt and grit, but not for shovels, snow blowers or other equipment. He attributed that to the fact that winter is two-thirds over.

“I think people are either prepared or they’re not,” Kapaun said. “It’s usually the first snowfall of the year that gets a lot of attention. With a storm like this, I expected a little bit more, but we’ve already had a big year of snow already.”

Forecasters at AccuWeather said the same storm system could result in icing across a 2,092-kilometre band from near Omaha, Nebraska, to New Hampshire on Wednesday and Thursday, creating potential travel hazards in or near cities such as Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago and Boston.

Forecasters expect up to a half-inch of ice in some areas of southern Michigan, northern Illinois and some eastern states.

As the northern U.S. deals with a winter blast, record warmth is expected in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast — 30 degrees to 40 degrees above normal in some places. Record highs are expected from Baltimore to New Orleans and in much of Florida, National Weather Service Meteorologist Frank Pereira said.

Washington, D.C., could hit 80 F (27 C) on Thursday, which would top the record of 78 F (25 C) set in 1874.