(CNN) -- More
cold in much of the nation and more snow in the Midwest is expected
to frustrate many holiday shoppers and travelers on Friday.
While people
on the Plains face winds that can drop temperatures from 40 to
70 degrees below zero, residents of western Michigan were urged
not to travel because snow showers and squalls could create near
white-out conditions in open or rural areas.
The National
Weather Service issued a warning that an Arctic air mass is expected
to create lake effect snow, with accumulations of 4 to 12 inches
by early Friday morning in western Michigan. Wind chills could
also drop temperatures between 15 degrees Fahrenheit and 25 degrees
below zero.
Wakefield
in the state's Upper Peninsula is expected to get a foot or more
of new snow by Friday. So far this season, the town has received
104.4 inches of snow.
Travelers in western and southern Minnesota were urged to carry
winter survival kits in their cars because Arctic winds howling
off Lake Superior were causing reduced visibility and dropping
temperatures to 60 below.
In northwest
Idaho and southeast Washington driving is expected to become treacherous
Friday when snow and freezing rain will cover roads with a layer
of ice.
Icy roads
proved deadly Thursday in Alabama, where freezing rain coated
roads and bridges, causing wrecks that were blamed for four deaths,
including two people whose car slid into a lake.
Authorities
closed Interstate 20 east of Birmingham to clean up the wreckage
from a multiple-car crash blamed on icy roads, and Interstate
65 north of the city was partially blocked by a jack-knifed 18-wheeler.
Flying could
be a headache
Becca Roth, 31, of Boston knows there could be trouble when she
and her family fly to Minneapolis on Friday -- one of the busiest
days of the season, with 2.14 million passengers boarding planes.
They endured four cancellations and a delay on three airlines
getting there for a funeral last week.
"It could
get ugly," Roth said. "But on the holidays there's bound
to be bad weather and crowds. You just need to bring a crossword
puzzle, a book and a little bit of grace."
Some travelers
suggest aspirin might be more helpful.
"I'm
very tired. I have a headache. I'm just really not happy,"
an exasperated woman delayed Thursday at Chicago's O'Hare Airport
told CNN affiliate WGN.
Planes headed
into O'Hare were delayed up to four hours Thursday because of
high winds, according to the Federal Aviation Agency's Web site.
The airport reported no major delays with outbound flights. (Click
here for FAA flight delay information)
Sleet and
freezing rain Thursday also made roads slippery in Georgia as
another winter storm moved through the state.
At Atlanta's
Hartsfield Airport, Delta Air Lines canceled 20 percent of its
flights (about 100 in all). Delta, the primary carrier in Atlanta,
said the move was precautionary so that planes can be de-iced
in the freezing weather.
"I was
frustrated," said Kelly McClurg after Delta scrubbed the
morning flight she and her husband, Tim, planned to take to Detroit.
Rebooked on a late afternoon flight, they hoped for no further
delays. "Worse case scenario, we'll just have to go tomorrow
(Friday) morning," McClurg told CNN.
A record 39.6
million passengers are expected to travel by plane during the
three-week period that began last Friday and runs through January
4, according to the Air Transport Association.
Shoveling
for the team
The Wisconsin
cold didn't faze more than 300 football fans who turned out Wednesday
at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, not to watch the Packers, but to
remove snow from the stadium's bleachers.
The team,
which put out a call for help after a snowstorm earlier in the
week, paid recruits $7 an hour to clear the seats in time for
Sunday's game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"A lot
of people took off from work to come out and shovel and ... support
the team," Mike Hmielewski, one of the workers, told CNN.
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