Hundreds of Flights Canceled Due to Winter Storm Warnings from Texas to Ohio
Sleet and freezing rain are expected to affect travel through much of the nation's midsection on Monday.
Unless absolutely necessary, this might not be the best time to travel anywhere from Texas to Ohio and Tennessee.
A large stretch of America's midsection is currently witnessing challenging winter conditions, and around 50 million Americans are affected by today's weather advisories, USA Today reports. Due to an arctic cold front moving into the southern Plains and the Mid-South, at least 15 states are now suffering the consequences of freezing rains and icing events.
During the cold front passage, sleet and freezing rains will be the main enemies causing hazardous travel conditions. According to the National Weather Service, central Texas, southwest Oklahoma, and central Arkansas are among the affected areas.
Specifically, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is currently undergoing a winter storm warning until 6 am on Wednesday, and freezing rain as well as sleet are expected. A considerable number flights into and out of Dallas-area airports have been canceled, and airports in Denver, Aspen, and Austin are all seeing a sizable number of cancellations as well.
According to FlightAware data, over 800 flights into or out of the US today are canceled and many more are delayed. Not quite as bad as the thousands of flights canceled last month that led up to Southwest Airlines' historic meltdown, but still quite significant. Travelers are encouraged to double check their flight status as the winter weather advisory persists.
Colorado is witnessing a bit of winter weather history itself, according to USA Today. According to the National Weather Service, Denver hit an overnight low of -10, which is the same temperature as the record set in 1985. Wind chills are expected to bring the temperature down to -19 degrees at Denver International Airport today, while Colorado's eastern plains are expected to hit -23.
Further west, a good amount of heavy snow is in the forecast. Experts are warning people about expected travel difficulties, especially near the highest mountain passes of western Colorado mountains. Snow is also expected to cause some travel issues in Southern California, where in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties it is likely to slow down traffic.
While it won't be affected as much, the eastern side of the country isn't safe from the wintery conditions either. A cold front is expected to move east by Tuesday, and the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region are expected to witness days of below-average temperatures.