Snow, ice and heavy rain imperil holiday travel across the country

A weather front that brought record rains to Southern California on Christmas Day marched east Sunday, threatening parts of the Midwest and East with more than a foot of snow, ice and whiteout conditions.

In Minnesota, State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jesse Grabow advised travelers to stay home Sunday, citing low visibility and dangerous driving conditions.

“High winds and blowing snow are creating whiteout conditions in areas,” Grabow said. “Troopers ... have been responding to several crashes and vehicles that slid off the road throughout the night.”

More than 2,000 flights were delayed or canceled Saturday at airports in Denver and Chicago.

The storm was expected to “re-energize” in the northeastern United States with heavy rain for parts the mid-Atlantic and substantial snow and ice for part of New England over the next few days, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

The National Weather Service in Boston warned that “significant icing” was expected across much of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

“Travel is strongly discouraged and prepare for power outages,” the weather service tweeted. “Have a way to receive alerts and stay safe.”

Sunday night into Monday afternoon was expected to be “miserable” in New York City and Philadelphia, Sosnowski said.

Drenching rain, foggy episodes, high winds, urban flooding and a brisk easterly wind were possible.

Farther south, thunderstorms with the potential for damaging wind gusts and tornadoes were being watched for across of the Mid-South and central Gulf States on Sunday night, the weather service said.