Travel

PHOTOS: Winter Weather Cancels Flights And Closes Highways

See photos of the brutal weather affecting much of the West, bringing travel to a stand still.

Peggy Newell's profile picture
Peggy Newell, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
A tapestry of car tracks are created in the Canyon Rim Center parking lot following snow fall in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah., on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.
A tapestry of car tracks are created in the Canyon Rim Center parking lot following snow fall in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah., on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. (Francisco Kjolseth /The Salt Lake Tribune via Associated Press)

ACROSS AMERICA — Blustery temperatures brought heavy snow to much of the Midwest and West on Wednesday. The wintry mix shut down interstates from Arizona to Wyoming and canceled hundreds of flights in Minnesota.

Airports came to a standstill with nearly 1,600 U.S. flight cancellations, according to the tracking service FlightAware. Traveling by car was near impossible with snow leaving drivers stranded on highways. Hundreds of thousands of homes are still without power and plenty of schools were forced to cancel classes.

Many are still trying to dig themselves out of the mess while bracing for impact with the next round of snow arriving Friday.

Find out what's happening in Across Americafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

See the photos below of the winter storm impacting travel in much of the country.

Cathy Morgan-Mace cleans snow and ice off her family's car during a snowstorm in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)
Travelers check American Airlines flight information screens for their flight status at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Wednesday. (AP photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Traveler Avonlea Brown, of Lone Peak Cheer, waits in Salt Lake City International Airport after their flight was canceled. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Vehicles are stuck in the snow, in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Erin Woodiel /The Argus Leader via AP)
Carolyn and Dan Ellwood shovel snow outside Second Edition in Pierre, S.D. (AP Photo/Amancai Biraben)
Runners negotiate snow covered paths along Interstate 80 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Francisco Kjolseth /The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Damage to a vehicle crushed by a tree downed by high winds can be seen in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
David Dailey uses a snowblower as falling snow blusters around him on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Erin Woodiel /The Argus Leader via AP)
A passenger views information boards at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport showing canceled flights ahead of an impending snow storm forecasted to hit the Twin Cities later in the day Wednesday. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)
A man crosses a snow covered S. Sixth St. in downtown Minneapolis. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Find out what's happening in Across Americafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Across America