An Arctic blast brought snow, frost and dangerously cold winds to the northern Plains, the Midwest and the Great Lakes, creating “very difficult to impossible” travel conditions on one of the busiest days of the year, as millions of people head home from their Thanksgiving destinations.
About 9 million people are under winter alerts across the nation, with nearly 3 million in parts of New York state, Pennsylvania and Ohio under warnings for lake effect snow showers, triggered by a clash of the south-moving arctic blast and comparatively warm lake water.
More than 2.3 million in parts of New York state, Michigan, Minnesota and West Virginia are covered by winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories, with the warnings stating heavy snow, ice and blizzard conditions are almost certain. The advisories state rapidly accumulating snow, freezing rain and blowing snow are likely.
