Winter Storm Imperils Travel Across Path Of Central U.S.

Heavy snow and ice hit Midwestern cities and bear down on the Mid-Atlantic region

- By GINGER ADAMS OTIS AND ALISON SIDER

A powerful winter storm unleashed heavy snow, ice and frigid temperatures across a large part of the U.S. over the weekend, prompting a wave of flight cancellations and making roads hazardous.

The dangerous weather covering a 1,500-mile stretch across the central part of the country affected millions of people on Sunday and will continue into Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Airlines over the weekend scrubbed flights in advance and pre-emptively issued travel waivers in an effort to stave off traveler frustrations, allowing people to change tickets without paying fees.

On Sunday, more than 1,500 flights into, within or out of the U.S. were canceled, along with more than 6,000 that were delayed, according to FlightAware. More than 8,000 were delayed on Saturday, according to the flight-tracking website.

Airlines canceled most flights to and from Kansas City International Airport, and the airfield was closed Sunday afternoon, according to a notice posted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Over half of flights to and from St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled Sunday.