there are winter storms and then there s this, an historic co coast-to-coast arctic blast packing the power of a category 2 hurricane and whether it s blinding snow or subzero temperatures just about everyone out there is feeling it. more than 200 million americans right now under winter warnings or advisories and looking at that map, the more purple you see, the colder it is. and the timing of this is simply terrible. holiday travel where it s even possible is a mess as you would guess. thousands of flights are canceled right now and you can forget about driving in a lot of parts of the country. in new york the snow and flooding are so bad all n nonessential travel is banned right now and in rhode island, massive waves hammering the coast. street flooding there a big concern. and blizzard conditions are also making for some white knuckle driving in ohio and cleveland. it s going to feel like minus 27 all day. and in the south, well, that s where you ll find a lot of ice and
hello, welcome to cnn newsroom. we begin with this monster winter storm. its core is hovering over the great lakes, and its trailing arctic air is causing power outages and dangerous travel conditions two days before christmas. life-threatening windchills have permeated all the way to the gulf coast, over 70 million americans are experiencing below freezing temperatures, that includes the entire state of texas. this video s from kentucky where the governor has just confirmed three people have died as a result of this storm. and this from our affiliate whbq in memphis, tennessee, their high today, 16 degrees. it s usually around 52 this time of year. the city s enforcing rolling blackouts to reduce the strain on their power fwrid. and damaging winds grid. and damaging winds have knocked out power to a million customers nationwide. and look at this the storm system causing heavy flooding in parts of new england. just a harrowing sight for a region expected to hit freezing
classic inspiring america. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening it is happening. the dreaded winter storm putting holiday plans literally on ice for millions is under way. a stunning 105 million people under some kind of winter weather alert right now from blizzards to rain and floods, fierce winds to life-threatening cold the storm system has it all weather service forecasters in buffalo bracing for what they re calling a once in a generation event. as we come on the air, wind-driven snow has moved from the plains into the midwest, and temperatures are falling through the floor. in denver, the thermometer plunging 37 degrees in 1 hour the most dramatic drop there ever 37 states including those in the deep south are under windchill alerts as real feel temperatures fall below zero in many places and as feared christmas travel plans for millions in jeopardy right now. well over 2,000 flights in and out of u.s. airports canceled with more expe
it s the top of the hour on cnn newsroom. i m pamela brown, and we begin the hour with a travel nightmare. thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed across the country today. the hardest hit, southwest airlines, which has scrapped more than 60% of its flights. take a look here. these are some of the long lines of southwest passengers in raleigh, atlanta, and denver airports. in a statement to cnn, southwest airlines said it is, quote, experiencing disruptions across our network as a result of the winter storm s lingering effects on the totality of our operations. carlos suarez is on the southwest side of the terminal. what are you seeing? what are you hearing from passengers? reporter: well, pamela, i m hearing a great deal of frustration from a good number of passengers who are stranded, and are flying southwest airlines or at least they were hoping to today. the airport here in atlanta has seen well over 200 canceled flights and a majority of those flights have
celebrate by candle light. the christmas day speech. charles, the first ever without queen elizabeth. with millions gathering together, what you need to know about a concerning mix of flu, covid and rsv this holiday season. the progress floridians are making after the storm. inside one of the most popular cathedrals in the world. bringing notre dame back from the ashes. and holiday pops. christmas like only a beloved christmas tradition can do it. good. ing. i m jacob in for kate. heavy sheets of christmas snow have given way to a deep arctic freeze in north america. parts of the country have seen nearly 4 feet. 49 people have died. 12 in western new york. what they are calling one of the most devastating storms in the region s history. and many are celebrating by candle light, and others looking at tickets to see if their flights back home can get off the ground. on christmas day, more than 2300 flights canceled. 6,000 delayed. what has become for some a travel