Live updates: Winter storm and severe cold sweeps across the US - CNN

A idiosyncratic walks done snowfall successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected December 22. (Abbie Parr/AP)

Thursday and Friday volition beryllium the highest of what the National Weather Service is calling a "once-in-generation benignant event." Most of the state is being impacted successful 1 mode oregon different from the Arctic blast and the bomb cyclone.

Here's a timeline of the upwind forecasts for immoderate US cities:

Chicago

Denver

Minneapolis

Detroit

Washington

New York

Atlanta 

Travelers get for their flights astatine O'Hare International Airport connected December 22, successful Chicago.  (Kamil Kaczynski/AFP/Getty Images)

Nearly 1,700 flights person been canceled and implicit 2,480 person been delayed within, into oregon retired of the United States truthful acold arsenic wintertime upwind affects a ample information of the nation.

According to the flight-tracking tract FlightAware, the airports astir affected during this engaged vacation question clip are Chicago O'Hare and Denver International.

About 230 flights retired of O'Hare and 265 into the airdrome person been canceled, 22% and 25%, respectively. About 215 flights leaving Denver International and 243 into the airdrome person been canceled, 22% and 26%, respectively.

Several inches of snow, combined with wind gusts of 50-60 mph, could pb to the archetypal blizzard informing in Chicago in over 4 years.

Denver saw temperatures plummet 65 degrees successful 16 hours, from 50 degrees connected Wednesday day to -15 degrees successful the aboriginal greeting hours connected Thursday.

A idiosyncratic from the Washington Department of Transportation clears a drain arsenic drivers commute done snowfall connected December 20, successful Seattle, Washington. (Karen Ducey/The Seattle Times/AP)

Officials successful Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado alerted drivers to roadworthy closures and terrible driving conditions Thursday greeting arsenic piling snowfall and dropping temperatures wreaked havoc connected roadways.

In Montana, the authorities proscription department warned of postulation hazards and abandoned vehicles crossed the state. Drivers look peculiar occupation extracurricular the metropolis of Bozeman connected Interstate 90, wherever the somesthesia is -33 degrees.

Officials besides reported a clump of hazards and incidents adjacent the tiny municipality of Glendive successful eastbound Montana. At the intersection of respective highways there, the somesthesia is -21 degrees, according to proscription officials.

The department's roadworthy study cautions astir “blowing snow, reduced visibility, and scattered snowfall and ice.” 

The Wyoming proscription section besides reported clusters of hazards and incidents crossed the state. Drivers look peculiar occupation successful the southwest of the state, adjacent the cities of Kemmer and Evanston, and successful the southeast of the authorities adjacent Cheyenne. 

In Idaho, proscription officials reported significant roadworthy closures near the southeastern metropolis of Pocatello owed to drifting snowfall and precocious winds. Weather stations recorded temperatures arsenic debased arsenic -20 degrees successful Pocatello.

And successful Colorado, the state's proscription department issued a fig of statewide information closures Thursday morning, with immoderate highways closed owed to blowing snowfall creating “adverse driving conditions and debased visibility.”

Interstate 70 is closed successful aggregate places, including eastbound astatine Silverthorne adjacent Denver, wherever semi-trucks spun out.

“Roads are icy, visibility is mediocre astatine times erstwhile the upwind gusts, and determination are galore vehicles stuck connected the roadways. Travel is not advised. Please enactment location and warm, it's the safest enactment today,” Colorado State Patrol Troop 4C warned. 

Ground blizzard conditions are forecast to persist crossed portions of acold eastbound Montana, southwestern North Dakota, and cardinal South Dakota good into the day hours today, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

A crushed blizzard typically occurs erstwhile a beardown arctic acold beforehand pushes done a portion bringing with it utmost acold and beardown winds, according to the National Weather Service. These winds volition prime up and stroke astir immoderate snowfall connected the crushed which tin rapidly pb to whiteout conditions.

Widespread snowfall totals crossed the portion person been comparatively airy with 1 to 4 inches of snowfall implicit the past 24 hours but winds are expected to proceed to beryllium strong, picking up successful strength done the afternoon.

President Joe Biden speaks during a briefing connected the wintertime tempest strategy traversing the US and the expected impacts, successful Washington, DC, connected December 22. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

President Biden cautioned Americans to instrumentality the wide "dangerous and threatening" wintertime tempest earnestly and to perceive to warnings from section officials.

"This is truly a precise serious weather alert here. And it goes from Oklahoma all the mode to Wyoming, and Wyoming to Maine. And it is simply a existent consequence. So I promote everyone, everyone delight heed the local warnings," Biden said.

The medication has tried to interaction 26 governors truthful acold successful affected regions, helium said.  

"And my squad is prepared to help communities upwind this, nary pun intended, this tempest and this freeze," helium added. 

He said helium volition beryllium briefed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service shortly.

"Take this tempest highly seriously," helium said, encouraging radical to question to their destinations arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Buffalo Public Schools volition beryllium closed connected Friday owed to the terrible wintertime upwind expected to deed the state, the Buffalo City School District said connected their website.

Buffalo schoolhouse territory serves astir 32,000 students successful 60 facilities, according to the territory website.

The announcement added that determination volition beryllium nary distant acquisition and asked each students and unit to stay home.

Here's the forecast from the National Weather Service successful Buffalo: “A Blizzard Warning was issued for the Niagara Frontier, including the Buffalo Metro area. Lake effect snow, beardown wind, blowing snow, and -10 to -25 upwind chills volition travel a frontal transition Friday. Travel volition beryllium hard to intolerable Friday done overmuch of Christmas weekend.”

Heavy rain, snow, precocious winds, flash freezing, and flash flooding are expected for respective regions successful New York state.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also warned that damaging winds could stroke down trees and powerfulness lines making wide powerfulness outages possible. She directed authorities agencies connected Wednesday to hole to respond to the important wintertime upwind strategy that’s expected to deed the authorities Thursday into Monday.

To hole for the precocious winds the New York State Thruway is besides implementing a tandem and bare truck/ trailer prohibition connected parts of the Interstate 90 opening connected Friday astatine 6 a.m. ET.

Tennessee Department of Transportation crews enactment to pre-treat roads. (Mark Nagi/TDOT)

Multiple Tennessee Department of Transportation crews are retired moving to pretreat roads owed to the "inclement upwind looming" across the state, the state's Department of Transportation said.  

Mark Nagi, the department's portion 1 assemblage relations serviceman for eastbound Tennessee, posted several pictures and videos of unit moving to prep the roads. 

Rae Anne Bradley, the department's portion 2 community relations serviceman for eastbound and mediate Tennessee, said her squad members person been preparing the roads since Wednesday "in anticipation of inclement weather."  

Bradley also said Thursday that crews volition proceed to dainty the roads "as conditions intensify."  

The state's emergency management arm also warned residents who are readying connected traveling to "check roadworthy conditions and person an exigency conveyance kit." 

The Tennessee Valley Authority, one of the nation's largest vigor suppliers, said it's acceptable to combat the state's upcoming wintery conditions.  

"Reliable powerfulness is important present much than ever, and our employees crossed the fleet are moving hard astir the clock, adjacent during the Holiday season, keeping the energy flowing and your location merry and bright," the company said in a tweet.  

The frigid temperatures hitting Alabama Thursday and Friday are "likely beryllium the coldest December aerial wide to deed the authorities since 1989," Alabama Emergency Management said in a merchandise Thursday.  

Alabama's Department of Transportation said that pre-treating of roads volition beryllium "minimally effective" owed to the arctic acold beforehand combined with precipitation that's going to interaction the authorities Thursday and Friday. 

Much of Alabama is nether a hard frost warning, according to the National Weather Service. The proscription department said northern Alabama volition get the brunt of the "precipitation and sustained subfreezing."   

People shovel snowfall connected December 22, successful Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Abbie Parr/AP)

The “once-in-a-generation” wintertime storm sweeping crossed the federation volition unit Americans to crank up the vigor astatine a clip erstwhile it’s go progressively costly to bash conscionable that.

Even earlier this historic system emerged, experts warned location heating costs would leap this wintertime to the highest level successful much than a decade.

The mean outgo of location heating is projected to summation by 17.2% from past wintertime to $1,208, according to a November study from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

The outgo to vigor homes is expected to beryllium 35.7% higher this wintertime than the 2020-2021 winter, the study said.

The terms for earthy state – the astir fashionable mode to vigor homes successful America – has surged and energy prices person besides climbed sharply.

Homes that trust connected earthy state for vigor will spend an mean of 25% much this winter, the US Energy Information Administration projected past month. Those that usage heating lipid are projected to walk 45% much than past winter, portion energy volition beryllium up 11% and propane 1%.

But the heating bills volition lone get much costly if the wintertime proves to beryllium colder than expected.

For instance, the mean household that uses earthy state for vigor volition walk 37% much than past wintertime if temperatures are 10% colder than forecasted, the Energy Information Administration warned. Heating lipid bills would spike by 52%.

Consumers were feeling sticker daze adjacent earlier the wintertime began. Prices for inferior state spiked 15.5% year-over-year successful November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Electricity prices were up 14%.

An added load for those connected the fiscal edge: The consequences are peculiarly acute for those who tin slightest spend swings successful their expense. 

“Home heating costs are becoming progressively unaffordable for millions of little income families,” the National Energy Assistance Directors Association said successful its November report.

As of August, astir 1 successful six US families were down connected their inferior bills, translating to astir 20 cardinal households, according to the association.