Traveling could be tricky in certain parts of the U.S., where blizzards and severe storms are expected to last through the evening on Christmas day. The Weather Channel's Paul Goodloe reports.
By Isolde Raftery and Ian Johnston, NBC News
As a major storm with 70- to 80-mile-per-hour winds threatened to bear down on the Deep South early Wednesday morning, Mississippi officials encouraged residents to bring in their outdoor Christmas decorations for fear they could become dangerous projectiles.
?We understand that most people will be focusing on the holiday,? Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said in a statement. ?Please plan now for how you will receive a severe weather warning and know where you will go when it is issues.?
The storm comes from the West, where it dumped up to six feet of snow in the mountains of California.
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The storm threatens to throw up similar travel obstacles in the South, where it is forecast to bring ?severe thunderstorms capable of damaging winds and tornadoes,? according to weather.com. Rain and thunderstorms are also predicted to hit Jacksonville, Charlotte and Orlando on Christmas Day, according to weather.com.
The storm should rev up over Texas and sweep east into Mississippi. Thunderstorms are expected to develop during the morning hours of Christmas Day, around 3 a.m., lasting until about noon, according to The National Weather Service.
?There are enough conditions working together to increase the threat for severe weather on Christmas Day,? the Weather Service said, adding that the main threat exists from the Houston area northward to College Station. ?Residents of Southeast Texas are encouraged to monitor forecasts for updates.?
Later in the day, three to six inches of snow are expected in northern and western Arkansas, according to the Weather Service. One to three inches are forecast elsewhere in the state, although no accumulation is expected near the border with Louisiana.
Before the storm reaches the South, however, it is forecast to cover the roads in Salt Lake City with snow on Christmas morning, weather.com reported. Fresh snow is also expected to blanket parts of the adjacent High Plains, including Denver. ?
Holiday travel impacts
According to the flightstats.com website, 133 flights had been canceled and 3,715 had been delayed across the U.S. as of 8:35 p.m. ET on Monday. It was known how many of these problems were due to the weather.
Last week, snow and high winds disrupted thousands of?flights from?the Midwest through the Northeast.
?Unfortunately, this occurs not only during the Christmas holiday, but also in the peak travel period after Christmas Day in the South, Midwest, and East,? weather.com said.
Snow was likely for an area including the eastern Great Lakes, northern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and northern New England.
Hundreds of flights hit again as winter weather continues
The cities of the I-95 corridor and east to the coast were expected to get mainly rain, although some places could get brief periods of light snow or a ?wintry mix.?
?Despite the ?more wet than white? forecast for the I-95 urban corridor, expect major delays at the major Northeast airport hubs Wednesday due to low cloud ceilings and strong winds,? weather.com warned. ?These delays may persist into Thursday morning due to low clouds, wind, and potential changeover to light snow.?
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