A plow and sanding truck heads up Paseo del Norte in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday, November 24. A deadly winter storm that began in Southern California and stretches to Texas threatens to wreck Thanksgiving week travel plans all the way to the Atlantic.A plow and sanding truck heads up Paseo del Norte in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday, November 24. A deadly winter storm that began in Southern California and stretches to Texas threatens to wreck Thanksgiving week travel plans all the way to the Atlantic.

Phillip Miller, 8, uses a hammer to break up the ice on the walkway in front of his family's home in Odessa, Texas, on November 24.Phillip Miller, 8, uses a hammer to break up the ice on the walkway in front of his family's home in Odessa, Texas, on November 24.

Icicles form on a bush after the first round of winter weather moved through Tarrant County, Texas, on November 24.Icicles form on a bush after the first round of winter weather moved through Tarrant County, Texas, on November 24.

Valerie Thompson tosses a ball for her dog, Gus, on November 24 at Stardust Skies Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.Valerie Thompson tosses a ball for her dog, Gus, on November 24 at Stardust Skies Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Cars slide on Paseo del Norte in Albuquerque on November 24. The winter weather made driving difficult.Cars slide on Paseo del Norte in Albuquerque on November 24. The winter weather made driving difficult.

A white horse roams an icy patch of land in the morning on Saturday, November 23, in Odessa, Texas.A white horse roams an icy patch of land in the morning on Saturday, November 23, in Odessa, Texas.









  • NEW: Nearly 400 flights have been canceled in the Dallas-Fort worth area

  • Sleet and freezing rain will cover parts of the Southern Plains and Rockies

  • The storm will make a turn toward the Northeast this week

  • At least 10 people have died in weather-related traffic crashes




Are you in the grips of the wintry storm sweeping across the country? Please share your videos, pictures and stories at iReport.


(CNN) -- The wicked wintry weather that pummeled the West Coast is now barreling across the country, threatening to wreck millions of holiday travel plans just before Thanksgiving.


The storm has already contributed to at least 10 traffic fatalities.


Nearly 400 flights have been canceled in the Dallas-Fort Worth area -- not exactly a bastion for snowstorms. Sleet and freezing rain will keep blanketing parts of the Southern Plains and Southern Rockies on Monday.


And after the storm deluges parts of the South with rain Monday evening, it'll start zeroing in on the Northeast, the National Weather Service said. And that could spell more travel nightmares.


It's not just the bad timing that has travelers riled up. In many of the places, this kind of weather isn't supposed to happen.





Bad weather may waylay holiday travelers




Wild weather out West

"This is not Texas weather, man," driver Ron Taylor told CNN affiliate KTVT. "This is Alaska, or Idaho."


Even parts of Lubbock, known for its warmth and flatness, turned into a snowboarding park as several inches of snow covered the western Texas city.


How cold is cold?


An Arctic air mass will probably keep temperatures 15 to 20 degrees below normal along the East Coast through Thursday. But even if the system fails to deliver heavy snow, fierce winds could still hamper air travel, forecasters said.


Airlines flying in and out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport "pre-canceled about 300 departures to reduce the number of stranded travelers" Sunday in anticipation of the harsh weather, the airport's official Twitter account said. And 10% of flights at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport were also canceled because of the weather Sunday.


Then there's the snow. New Mexico could see up to 8 inches accumulating through Monday.


Massive rainfall, too


Heavy rain is expected to fall from Texas to Georgia on Monday and over the Carolinas on Monday night, with some sleet and snow mixed in for northern parts of that swath. The heaviest rain is expected across parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.


By Tuesday, the rain will reach the mid-Atlantic states and parts of the Northeast. And that could turn into freezing rain in the southern and central Appalachians.


Deadly road conditions


Four people have died in Oklahoma since Friday, Betsy Randolph of the state's Department of Public Safety said. In each case, the driver was going too fast for conditions, she said. Randolph said only one of those killed was wearing a seat belt.


Three people died in a pileup on icy Interstate 40 in northwest Texas late Friday, Texas State Trooper Chris Ray said. One of those killed was a person who got out of his car to help, but got struck. And at least 20 people were hospitalized from collisions within three miles of the fatal pileup, the Oldham County sheriff said.


Two people died in New Mexico in dangerous road conditions. A 4-year-old girl who was not properly restrained was killed Friday when the car she was riding in slid off icy U.S. Highway 70, the state's Department of Public Safety said. On Saturday, a woman in her 50s died when the pickup that she was riding in rear-ended a semi-truck in heavy traffic near Gallup, New Mexico, state police said.


And in Yuba County, California, a 52-year-old died when a tree fell on top of a vehicle Thursday, the county sheriff's office said.


When will this storm end?


Most of the nastiness will end by Thanksgiving Day, though much of the Northeast will still get a layer of snow Thursday.


But much of the country will enjoy calm Thanksgiving weather -- even if it's a little more frigid than usual.


Fewer people traveling for Thanksgiving


CNN's Joe Sutton, Indra Petersons, Judson Jones, Adam Shivers and Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report.



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