An arctic blast that forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and contributed to nearly two dozen deaths will continue into Christmas Day but lessen in severity, according to the National Weather Service.
“Blustery west to northwesterly winds behind this expansive system will continue to direct arctic air from central Canada down into much of the eastern two-thirds of the country, with only slow moderation of temperatures through the rest of the weekend into Monday,” the National Weather Service said.
In the West, the arctic front will continue over the next couple of days to bring snow across the northern Plains into the Midwest, with areas of rain and freezing rain over parts of the Northern High Plains on Sunday.
The Pacific Northwest, northern Idaho and western Montana could see freezing rain.
Across the country, slick roads and white-out conditions are leaving a trail of car crashes, traffic pile-ups and power outages. The weather is not only wreaking havoc on travel but on electric grids, with hundreds of thousands of people without power across the country.
Source; NBC News