Nearly unprecedented: Winter weather to affect nearly 60% of population; holiday deliveries impacted

Mother Nature is delivering a holiday gift that many did not want this weekend — a winter storm that will affect more than half the country.

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Tens of millions of Americans are dealing with a variety of weather issues from freezing temperatures, blizzards and power outages, The Associated Press reported, which called it “nearly unprecedented in its scope.”

The storms are leaving more than 200 million people, or about 60% of the U.S. population under a winter advisory or warning Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Large swaths of the country are going to have negative wind chills Friday afternoon. Even the south is not immune to the cold weather with parts of Texas showing single digits.

Forecasters say a bomb cyclone will happen near the Great Lakes causing blizzard conditions, heavy winds and snow, the AP reported.

Erie County, New York, has banned driving starting at 9:30 a.m. EST, CNN reported.

The storms are also wreaking havoc with travel plans as thousands of flights are canceled nationwide.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN that the country would see air travel disruption over the holiday weekend, but people have to remember to be safe.

“I know we all want to get to our loved ones for the holidays but please, please pay close attention to what local authorities are saying. If they’re saying it’s not safe to drive, it’s not safe to drive,” Buttigieg said. “No matter how much you want to get quickly to your loved ones, make sure you get there safe.”

In the U.S., there have been more than 3,000 flights canceled within, into or out of the U.S. on Friday, with more than 1,700 delays, as of 9:30 a.m. EST, according to data compiled by Flight Aware.

To put that into perspective, there were 2,685 flight cancellations on Thursday with more than 11,000 delays in the U.S.

In Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport has closed all runways indefinitely for crews to deice surfaces Friday morning, KIRO reported. The city has also canceled bus service because of unsafe road conditions.

In Boston, tens of thousands of people were without power on Friday morning and blackouts were expected to increase as wind gusts as high as 65 mph will blow through the area later in the day, Boston25News reported.

In Western Pennsylvania, the state’s Department of Transportation has lowered speed limits on several roadways due to deteriorating road conditions, WPXI reported.

The Dayton, Ohio, area is seeing snow and wind gusts of between 30 and 50 mph, WHIO reported.

WSB’s Severe Weather Team 2 said the Atlanta area will be seeing the coldest temperatures in nearly a decade as the metro area was under a wind chill advisory with wind gusts of between 20-40, even 50, mph and temperatures below freezing until mid-day Monday.

WSOC’s Severe Weather Center 9 says the Charlotte area will also be hit by the Arctic front Friday with temperatures dropping to the 20s quickly and down to the single digits with a wind chill near or below zero Friday night and wind gusts over 40mph. Mountain areas could see up to 2 inches of snow.

Florida isn’t immune to the freezing weather this weekend. WFTV reported that while the day will start in the mid to upper 60s, the Arctic air will bring a few showers, clouds and cold air Friday afternoon and evening. Overnight there will be lows in the 20s and 30s with a wind chill in the teens.

WHBQ reported that thousands of people were without power in the Memphis area. KOKI was seeing slick spots in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area but roads were improving.

Overall, more than 900,000 people had no power because of the storms as of Friday morning, CNN reported.

While holiday travel plans are being disrupted, holiday deliveries may also be impacted.

FedEx and UPS are warning customers that winter weather has affected deliveries, CNN reported.

“FedEx Express experienced substantial disruptions at our Memphis and Indianapolis hubs last night due to severe winter weather that has been moving across the United States,” company officials said in a statement to CNN.

Packages that were expected to be delivered Friday and Saturday may be delayed.

UPS said delays may be more localized, CNN reported.

“Significant weather events across several regions of the U.S. are impacting the UPS Air and Ground network, including UPS hubs in Louisville, Kentucky and Rockford, Illinois,” UPS said. “As a result, some delivery and pickup services in these areas will be affected.”

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