Blizzards and ice making for white, and dangerous, Christmas in Plains

It’ll be a white Christmas in parts of the Great Plains, and then some.

Blizzard warnings were affecting around 720,000 people from northwestern Kansas and Colorado to most of South Dakota, the National Weather Service said, while ice and sleet were affecting other parts of the region.

North Platte, Nebraska, saw around 2 inches of snow Monday morning, which was its first white Christmas since 2017, forecasters there said.

It wasn’t all fun: The Nebraska State Patrol said that the storm was causing problems and posted pictures to social media of tractor-trailers that had partially slid off the road. On Interstate 80, blowing snow on a sheet of ice caused two big rigs to block the highway.

“Great day to stay inside if travel isn’t necessary,” the law enforcement agency said on X.

In central and north South Dakota, the forecast was for snow, and then blizzard conditions, the weather service in Aberdeen said. The northeastern part of the state was due to get freezing rain and ice, and drivers were encouraged to carry winter survival kits if they have to drive.

“We’re encouraging everyone to stay safe and weather aware as severe winter storms make their way across many parts of South Dakota,” Gov. @GovKristiNoem said in a statement on social media.

A large stretch of Interstate 90 between Mitchell and Wall was closed in both directions Monday afternoon, and a second closure was scheduled to begin later that evening due to near zero-visibility conditions, the state Department of Transportation said.

For air travel, there were only 137 cancellations for domestic flights and those entering and departing the U.S. on Monday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Delays totaled 1,270.

Southwest led U.S. carriers in delays and cancellations on FlightAware, with 104 cancellations. The airline said it was still recovering from dense fog in Chicago that began Saturday night and prevented planes from landing. It said it “proactively cancelled 101 flights for Monday” but didn’t expect major disruptions.

“We do anticipate a handful of additional cancellations today as we work toward a full recovery ahead of Tuesday’s operation,” the airline said Monday.

By Monday, many holiday travelers were at their destinations. On Thursday, more than 2.6 million people were screened by the Transportation Security Administration, according to the agency.

Elsewhere, temperatures are warm for a day associated with snow and candy canes. Cleveland, Ohio, had a high forecast in the upper 50s to low 60s. Chicago’s was in the 50s, and Buffalo, New York, was 56 degrees.

The Pacific Northwest was forecast to see winter weather. The weather service in Pendleton, Oregon, warned of freezing rain in the region, with up to a quarter-inch in some places, through Tuesday morning.