Winter storm knocks out power for thousands across US, grounds hundreds of flights

A massive winter storm has cut off power for thousands of Americans in the central and western U.S., forcing hundreds of flights to the ground in cancelations or delays.

The winter storm stretches from Michigan to California, bringing dense snowfall to much of the Midwest and Great Lakes areas. Minneapolis faces a staggering 18-24″ in projected snowfall, and areas of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming will match that amount.

More than 600 flights across the U.S. were canceled as of early Wednesday morning, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Denver International Airport and Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport accounted for most of the cancelations. 

Meanwhile, more than 100,000 power outages have been reported in California alone, which is now feeling only the beginnings of the storm.

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A monster winter storm took aim at the Upper Midwest on Tuesday, threatening to bring blizzard conditions, bitterly cold temperatures and 2 feet of snow in a three-day onslaught that could affect more than 40 million Americans. (AP Newsroom)

The storm has grounded flights across several states. (AP Newsroom)

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The National Weather Service has issued a warning to residents of over a dozen states.

“A prolonged major winter storm will spread a large swath of heavy snow from the West Coast to the Northeast,” the NWS said in a statement, according to WSJ. “This will be extremely disruptive to travel, infrastructure, livestock and recreation.”

A weather forecast for the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. (Fox News)

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The storm is expected to spread and affect the Northeast and New England later Wednesday and Thursday.