Thousands of flights canceled ahead of U.S. winter storm

Almost 4,000 flights were canceled in the U.S. on Saturday a head of a monster winter storm that has already cut power to thousands of utility customers as far west as Texas, and threatened to paralyze eastern states with heavy snowfall.



Forecasters said snow, sleet and freezing rain, accompanied by dangerously frigid temperatures, would sweep the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday ‌and into next week.



Calling the storms "historic," President Donald Trump on Saturday approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia.



"We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.



Several states and the District of Columbia have declared weather emergencies.