President Joe Biden takes part in a rundown on winter season storms throughout the United States in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday,Dec 22, 2022, in Washington.
Patrick Semansky|AP
President Joe Biden alerted Americans taking a trip ahead of the Christmas vacation weekend to be mindful and leave early if possible to prevent the enormous storm anticipated to strike numerous states Thursday night.
“This is not like a snow day when you were a kid,” Biden stated. “This is serious stuff.”
Biden was informed by authorities from the National Weather Service and FEMA in the Oval Office Thursday early morning. Large swaths of the continental U.S. are under blizzard, ice storm and winter season storm cautions. Other locations are under wind chill, freeze and flood cautions.
The National Weather Service site alerts of a “widespread and dangerous arctic blast” approaching which will trigger “life-threatening cold” and “consume much of the lower 48.” The Midwest and Great Lakes areas are anticipated to get the bulk of the snow fall with almost all of the Great Plains area under a wind chill caution. The storm will “produce widespread disruptive and potentially crippling impacts across the central and eastern United States.”
Airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights from Wednesday through Friday, according to tracking website FlightAware. That duration includes what airline companies anticipated to be the busiest travel times prior to Christmas, which is Sunday.
American, Southwest, United, Delta, Spirit, JetBlue, Alaska and other airline companies released weather condition waivers for lots of locations around the nation, permitting tourists to alter their departures without paying a modification cost or distinction in fare.
Regardless of how they prepare to take a trip, Biden urged Americans to listen to assistance and take care.
“I encourage everyone, everyone to please heed the local warnings,” Biden stated, including info can be discovered on weather.gov.
Biden stated the White House has actually attempted to call guvs of 26 specifies slated to be struck by the storm.
CNBC’s Leslie Josephs added to this post.
