Storm travel hell erupts with more than 7,000 flights pre-emptively canceled over weekend with thousands more to come – Live updates

Over 7,000 flights have been cancelled this weekend, according to data compiled by FlightAware.

As of Friday night, 3,240 flights were cancelled scheduled for Saturday, with 3,066 of them within, into, or out of the US.

American Airlines canceled the most flights out of any airline company, canceling over 800 flights.

Dallas-Fort Worth was the most impacted airport, with 73 percent of outgoing flights canceled on Saturday and 69 percent of incoming flights canceled.

Flights were drastically impacted on Sunday, with 4,703 cancellations. Charlotte/Douglas International Airport was the most impacted.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a video message on Friday night, warning Americans to ‘stay ready’ ahead of this weekend’s winter storm.

‘I ask that all of you stay ready. Stay alert, and prepare accordingly,’ she said.

Noem advised Americans to stay off the roads for their own safety and to ensure emergency vehicles have clear streets to drive on during severe winter weather.

CNN liberal contributor Bakari Sellers issued a bold message on his X account about this weekend’s winter storm.

He declared that those who didn’t believe in global warming ‘shouldn’t be allowed to vote’ in a tweet that quickly went viral.

The National Weather Service announced just after 9:30 pm EST that over 144 million Americans were under a Winter Storm Warning.

Americans across the southern Plains and Rockies to those in New England are bracing for ‘catastrophic ice accumulations’ and heavy snow that’s expected to persist throughout the weekend.

Officials in Dallas, Texas, have warned that residents may be forced to hunker down until Wednesday.

Kevin Oden, the city’s director of emergency management and crisis response, told CNN that those in the area should have enough food, medicine, and supplies for the next four or five days, adding that his team has been in ‘response mode’ since Friday afternoon.

‘We definitely don’t believe that being on the roadways, particularly over these next 48 to 72 hours, is any place for folks to be,’ he said.

Oden added that his emergency teams were keeping an eye on ‘critical infrastructure’ as the storm approached.

‘The biggest thing we’re watching is all of our critical infrastructure,’ he said.

‘We want to make sure that the power is working, people can move freely on the streets, hospitals are operating, water is flowing, all of that. If we start to see impacts to any of those systems, we’ve got contingencies in place to hopefully get those systems back online and serve our residents.’

Freezing rain has already begun in parts of Texas, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Those in the area have been told to brace for sub-freezing temperatures that will persist late into the night.

Stores across New York were picked over on Friday evening as many rushed to purchase food and essentials ahead of the winter storm.

New Yorkers rushed to Costco, Whole Foods, and Home Depot ahead of this weekend’s winter storm to stock up on essentials.

Ted Cruz was trolled online earlier this week after he was spotted on a flight to California before a storm was set to hit his home state of Texas.

Ex-Obama staffer turned podcast host Tommy Vietor wrote on X: ‘You have to admire the consistency from Ted Cruz. When there’s a crisis in Texas, he sprints out of town.’

Another X user said, ‘Ted Cruz on a plane is an omen of severe winter storms to come, similar to the Waffle House index that gauges storm severity.’

A third stated sarcastically that Cruz deserves ‘props’ for ‘flying in coach with the rest of us average folks’, before adding ‘good for him.’

The joke stems from Cruz’s vacation in Europe last summer when a massive flood in Texas ravaged the state, killing at least 135 people, including 25 girls at a summer camp.

A spokesperson for Cruz’s office told the Daily Mail that the senator was traveling for a pre-planned work trip.

Senator Ted Cruz shared on social media that he’s returned to Texas after photos circulated of him on an airplane.

Cruz was spotted on a plane to California on Tuesday, ahead of the massive storm set to hit his home state hard.

Cruz was ruthlessly mocked online as he had been abroad when natural disasters were forecasted in Texas.

Cities across the US are facing a rock salt shortage ahead of this weekend’s winter storm. Salt is essential to combating icy roads and driveways.

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb issued a press release earlier this week, warning residents to be careful while driving as salt would be prioritized on main roads, dangerous intersections, and streets near hospitals and schools.

Bibb said the Department of Public Works placed salt orders in August, but a portion still hasn’t been delivered.

Residents in New Jersey are also suffering from the shortage, with Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler telling the New York Times that it’s the first time in his 33 years of service that officials have been in desperate need of road salt.

Grocery stores across the nation are picked over as Americans rushed to stock up on food and essentials ahead of winter storm Fern.

Take a look at the photos below from a store in Arlington, Virginia, of empty shelves and massive lines.