Over 8,000 flights canceled as major winter storm bears down across much of the US

Over 8,000 flights canceled as major winter storm bears down across much of the US 1 of 9 | A Detroit nonprofit has set up an emergency shelter with 80 cots in its gymnasium as temperatures in the city drop into dangerous territory. (AP video: Mike Householder) 2 of 9 | It was too cold for school in Chicago Friday as a huge winter weather system brought below-zero temperatures. The city’s Lake Michigan shoreline is encrusted in ice. (AP Video: Kii Sato) 3 of 9 | Shower Power, a Mississippi nonprofit that provides services for people experiencing homelessness, scrambled this week to open a new shelter ahead of a winter storm after their previous shelter lost heat. (AP Video/Sophie Bates) 4 of 9 | Shoppers in Kentucky and Oklahoma are among those who’ve been loading up on supplies and shovels because of a massive winter storm that threatens about half the U.S. population heading into the weekend. (AP Video: Dylan Lovan, Thomas Peipert) 5 of 9 | People walk on an ice covered beach along the shore of Lake Michigan, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) 6 of 9 | Doug Kunde watches as steam is seen over Lake Michigan as frigid temperatures for the day are not expected to reach zero degrees Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) 7 of 9 | Work crews stage with de-icing materials in their trucks ahead of expected inclement weather in Plano, Texas, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) 8 of 9 | A person walks by a vehicle that was plowed in by snow in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) 9 of 9 | Strong winds kick up snow in Lowville, New York, on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Cara Anna) 1 of 9 A Detroit nonprofit has set up an emergency shelter with 80 cots in its gymnasium as temperatures in the city drop into dangerous territory. (AP video: Mike Householder) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 9 It was too cold for school in Chicago Friday as a huge winter weather system brought below-zero temperatures. The city’s Lake Michigan shoreline is encrusted in ice. (AP Video: Kii Sato) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 9 Shower Power, a Mississippi nonprofit that provides services for people experiencing homelessness, scrambled this week to open a new shelter ahead of a winter storm after their previous shelter lost heat. (AP Video/Sophie Bates) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 9 Shoppers in Kentucky and Oklahoma are among those who’ve been loading up on supplies and shovels because of a massive winter storm that threatens about half the U.S. population heading into the weekend. (AP Video: Dylan Lovan, Thomas Peipert) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 9 People walk on an ice covered beach along the shore of Lake Michigan, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 9 Doug Kunde watches as steam is seen over Lake Michigan as frigid temperatures for the day are not expected to reach zero degrees Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 7 of 9 Work crews stage with de-icing materials in their trucks ahead of expected inclement weather in Plano, Texas, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 8 of 9 A person walks by a vehicle that was plowed in by snow in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 9 of 9 Strong winds kick up snow in Lowville, New York, on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Cara Anna) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] DALLAS (AP) — More than 8,000 flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend have been canceled as a major storm expected to wreak havoc across much of the country bears down, threatening to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways.Roughly 140 million people were under a winter storm warning from New Mexico to New England. The National Weather Service forecast warns of widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina.Forecasters say damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane. By Friday night, the edge of the storm was sending freezing rain and sleet into parts of Texas while snow and sleet were falling in Oklahoma. After sweeping through the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast, dumping about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Washington through New York and Boston, the weather service predicted. Governors in more than a dozen states sounded the alarm about the turbulent weather ahead, declaring emergencies or urging people to stay home. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told residents on the social media platform X that the state Department of Transportation was pretreating the roads and told residents, “Stay home if possible.” More than 3,400 flights were delayed or canceled Saturday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. More than 5,000 were called off for Sunday. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on Angela Exstrom was supposed to fly back to Omaha, Nebraska, from a trip in Mexico, but she learned her Saturday flight out of Houston had been canceled. So instead, she is going back via Los Angeles.“If you live in the Midwest and travel in the winter, stuff can happen,” she said. Frigid temperatures and iceUtility companies braced for power outages because ice-coated trees and power lines can keep falling long after a storm has passed.The Midwest saw wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), meaning that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes. In Bismarck, North Dakota, where the wind chill was minus 41 (minus 41 Celsius), Colin Cross was bundled up Friday in long johns, two long-sleeve shirts, a jacket, hat, hood, gloves and boots as he cleaned out an empty unit for the apartment complex where he works.“I’ve been here awhile and my brain stopped working,” Cross said.The storm has been a popular topic of discussion for days at Saint Paul Mini Market in Baltimore.“Every single person that walks in talks about the storm,” said owner Ayaz Ahmed.“Somehow, this time around, they did a good job letting people know that here’s a storm coming their way, and everybody knows about the storm, but how to deal with that is another thing,” Ahmed said. Government prepares to respondThe federal government put nearly 30 search and rescue teams on standby. Officials had more than 7 million meals, 600,000 blankets and 300 generators placed throughout the area the storm was expected to cross, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.President Donald Trump said via social media on Friday that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials and “FEMA is fully prepared to respond.”After the storm passes, it will take a while to thaw out. Ice can add hundreds of pounds to power lines and branches and make them more susceptible to snapping, especially if it’s windy.In at least 11 Southern states from Texas to Virginia, a majority of homes are heated by electricity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.A severe cold snap five years ago took down much of the power grid in Texas, leaving millions without power for days and resulting in hundreds of deaths. Abbott vowed that will not happen again, and utility companies were bringing in thousands of employees to help keep the lights on. Church, Carnival and classes canceledChurches moved Sunday services online, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Carnival parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled. Philadelphia announced schools would be closed Monday. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. told students, “It’s also appropriate to have one or two very safe snowball fights.”Some universities in the South canceled classes for Monday, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi’s main campus in Oxford.At the University of Georgia, in Athens, sophomore Eden England stayed on campus to ride things out with friends, even as the school encouraged students to leave dorms and go home because of concerns about losing power. “I’d rather be with my friends,” England said, “kind of struggling together if anything happens.”___Megnien and Amy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers around the country contributed. Amy covers Georgia politics and state government for The Associated Press. He began work with the AP in 2011 and covered Mississippi for eight years before transferring to the Atlanta bureau in 2019.