A large storm blamed for at least eight deaths in the West slogged through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and other parts of the Southwest on Sunday, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations as it slowly churned east ahead of Thanksgiving.
After the storm plows through the Southwest, meteorologists expect the Arctic mass to head south and east, threatening plans for Tuesday and Wednesday as people hit the roads and airports for some of the busiest travel days of the year.
More than 300 flights were canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport — about one-third of the scheduled departures — and a spokeswoman said deicing equipment had been prepared as officials planned for the worst.
“It’s certainly going to be a travel impact as we see the first few people making their way for Thanksgiving,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Bradshaw.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for chunks of North Texas from noon Sunday until midday Monday.
Parts of Oklahoma are also under a winter storm warning, while an advisory has been issued for other parts of the state.
Several inches of snow fell overnight in Altus in far southwestern Oklahoma. Portions of New Mexico had several inches of snow, as did Flagstaff in Arizona.
