Treacherous Christmas blizzard conditions expected in the Plains and Midwest

By Sunday night, over 1,000 flights in the U.S. scheduled for Monday were delayed — with about 250 cancellations — in anticipation of Christmas blizzard conditions across huge swaths of the Northern and Central Plains and Upper Midwest regions, according to a new report from NPR. 

According to the publication, South Dakota and Nebraska are expected to get major snowfall starting early Monday morning. While most areas can anticipate over 4 inches of snow, some parts of south-central and central South Dakota can anticipate at least twelve inches. Farther north, residents can expect sleet. Combined with freezing rain and strong winds, travel conditions are expected to be treacherous. 

The National Weather Service has advised that isolated power outages are possible in the region as 55-mile per hour wind gusts could bring down tree branches and power lines. 

However, for the rest of the country, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said the warm Pacific weather pattern known as El Niño would cause warmer-than-usual temperatures and precipitation over Christmas.