Holiday travelers deal with slick roads, airport delays; worst of storm still to hit Midwest

Winter storm starts to spread across Midwest

TOPEKA, Kan. — A major winter storm lumbering across the nation’s midsection promises a white Christmas for some but has brought headaches for residents without power and travelers crawling along slick, icy roads and dealing with canceled and delayed flights.

The worst of the storm is expected to hit the region Thursday and Friday, bringing heavy snow, sleet and rain to a large swath of the Plains and the Midwest. A foot or two of snow is possible in some areas by Christmas Day.

Snow began falling before sunrise Wednesday in northwest Kansas, after freezing rain had already iced up roads. A stretch of Interstate 70 in western Kansas was snowpacked by mid-afternoon. State officials have warned that travel will be almost impossible in northeast Kansas by Thursday afternoon.