'Once-in-a-Generation' Storm Has 110 Million Under Winter Weather Alerts Ahead of Holiday Weekend

Abbie Parr/AP/Shutterstock Snow

The weather outside is frightful.

Snowfall, strong winds, flash-freezing and dangerously cold temperatures are expected across the United States as the holiday weekend approaches — all part of what the National Weather Service calls a "once-in-a-generation storm."

More than 110 million people — a third of the U.S. population — are under winter-weather alerts that stretch across 37 states, according to CNN, which also noted that parts of the Midwest and Plains will have their coldest Christmas in 40 years.

Those regions will also experience "near-zero visibility and considerable blowing and drifting of snow," according to the National Weather Service. "This will lead to dangerous, to at times impossible, land and air travel leading up to the holiday weekend."

"I encourage everyone, everyone to please heed the local warnings," President Joe Biden said Thursday, according to CNBC.

"This is not like a snow day when you were a kid," the president added, pleading with travelers to leave early if possible and to stay safe. "This is serious stuff."

Thursday and Friday are expected to be two of the holiday season's most popular travel days, USA Today reported, citing data from travel site Hopper.

Flight tracker FlightAware showed more than 5,000 canceled flights Thursday by mid-afternoon, and CNN reported that more than 1,000 Friday flights are already canceled. Additionally, another 18,000 and counting have been delayed.

NOAA/AP/Shutterstock Arctic Blast

While light-to-moderate snowfall is forecasted in various regions affected by the storm, more than a foot of snow is predicted in areas to south and east of the Great Lakes, where lake-effect snow will continue until Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

"The snowfall totals may not seem all that impressive with this storm, but combined with very strong winds over an extended period of time will create blizzard conditions that can bring travel to a halt and strain infrastructure," the service said.

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Meanwhile, across northern states, temperatures have dropped so low that the National Weather Service is advising residents to avoid hitting the road. "The situation will become life-threatening if vehicles are stranded," they said.

CNN reported wind chills in as cold as 50 to 60 degrees below zero in Montana and the Dakotas. By Friday morning in Chicago, the wind chill temperatures could be as low as 30 below, according to the outlet.

The wind itself is also likely to wreak havoc during the storm, which is expected to become a "bomb cyclone" overnight Thursday into Friday. The term refers to a storm that rapidly intensifies as barometric pressure drops, according to NBC News.

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The storm will reach the pressure equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane, CNN reported.

Power outages due to high winds are predicted across the Great Lakes and Northeast, where frigid temperatures are expected to create a potentially life-threatening situation, according to Fox Weather.

Dangerous temperatures are heading as far south as Texas, where the National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning in Austin for only the second time ever, local station KXAN reported.

Charlie Neibergall/AP/Shutterstock Winter storm

The first time that happened was in early 2021 during the deadly winter storm, which overwhelmed the state's power grid, causing days-long power outages amid extremely low temperatures.

"This is a dangerous storm coming our way," Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said Wednesday ahead of the current winter blast of cold, the Texas Tribune reported. "The temperatures will be extremely cold and the winds will be high, which will generate some very dangerous wind chills."

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However, officials there are promising that the power will stay on in Texas.

"The grid is ready and reliable," Peter Lake, chair of the Public Utility Commission, which regulates grid operators, said Wednesday, the Tribune reported. "We expect to have sufficient generation to meet demand throughout this entire winter weather event."

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a stated of emergency due to "historic low temperatures," according to CNN.

"Communities across the state," the governor said, "are about to see temperatures that they haven't experienced in a decade or more."