Two powerful storms will bring snow, intense rain and strong winds for millions of Thanksgiving travelers.
Interstate 70 in western Kansas is closed in both directions due to a snow storm.
Kansas Department of Transportation tweeted that the closure stretches from Colby, Kansas, to the Colorado state line in both directions.
Minnesota Department of Transportation is preparing 800 plow trucks to hit the roadways ahead of tonight’s snow storm, and 1,800 road workers will staff them, according to Jedd Falgren, a state maintenance engineer for the department.
“This is obviously our first big hitter of the season,” Falgren told reporters at a news conference today.
He said they are “expecting the commute tomorrow morning to be quite a challenge.”
At least 31.6 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, according to a statement from Airlines for America.
They are expected to travel from Nov. 22 to Dec. 3, the statement. The busiest day to travel is expected to be Dec. 1.
“The popularity of air travel continues to soar this holiday season, as airlines and airports alike continue to invest billions of dollars into improving the quality of the experience and the efficiency of their operations,” said John Heimlich, the group's vice president and chief economist.
The bomb cyclone will be moving into Oregon and California over the next few hours.
The National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon, urged residents to "avoid travel today."
They added that travel conditions may improve slightly on Wednesday afternoon.
Severe weather is possible this afternoon and evening from Illinois south to Louisiana.
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a level 3 of 5 — an enhanced threat — from near St. Louis south through Memphis, where tornadoes are possible.
Here's a look at the area:
From California to Michigan, more than 20 million people are under winter weather advisories this week, one of the busiest for holiday travel.
A snowstorm has already led to more than 450 flights being canceled in and out of Denver as the city braces for 10 to 15 inches of snow.
A little more than 1,100 passengers traveling through Denver International Airport had to stay at the airport overnight last night due to weather conditions and subsequent flight cancellations and delays, DIA spokesperson Alex Renteria told CNN.
Airport personnel handed out blankets, care packets, baby formula and diapers for passengers traveling with babies, Renteria said.
Restaurants at the airport stayed open longer than they normally would — in total, they were open more than 24 hours, she added.
Denver International Airport tweeted video of crews clearing snow from runways.
The airport has gotten 7 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.