Winter storm leaves over 2,000 flights canceled, brings life-threatening cold

More than 2,000 U.S. flights have been canceled as of Thursday morning, amid a severe winter storm that is sweeping across much of the continental U.S. 

Winter Storm Elliott, which may turn into a rapidly intensifying "bomb cyclone," has led to the cancellation of 2,300 flights and the delay of over 11,000 flights from Wednesday to Thursday morning, according to plane tracker FlightAware.

Passengers are seemingly not deterred from the weather as the number of people traveling this holiday season are similar to pre-pandemic numbers and on Wednesday, even surpassed 2019 numbers, according to the TSA. 

The weather has been cited as a contributing factor in the vehicle deaths of at least four people so far, one in Oregon and three in Kansas, according to Weather Underground.

The National Weather Service states that the storm may produce "potentially crippling impacts across the central and eastern United States," including record-breaking cold and "life-threatening wind chills" in the Great Plains and eastern part of the country.

People in the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Interior Northeast are advised to "avoid travel if possible as the situation will become
life-threatening if vehicles are stranded," per the weather agency.