Mission (US), Dec 22 (AP) Temperatures plunged far and fast on Thursday as a winter storm began forming ahead of Christmas weekend, promising heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds across a broad swath of the country and complicating holiday travel.

The National Weather Service reported that temperatures across the central High Plains plummeted 50 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few hours. In much of the country, the Christmas weekend could be the coldest in decades.

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The storm was so large and encompassing that around 190 million people were under some type of winter weather advisory, the weather service had said on Wednesday.

Authorities across the country are worried about the potential for power outages and warned people to take precautions to protect older and homeless people and livestock — and, if possible, to postpone travel.

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“If you don't have to be out driving, especially on Friday, we ask that you don't be out there,” said Ron Brundidge, Detroit's public works director.

Jean-Paul Blancq got to Boston's Logan Airport a day early for his Thursday flight home to New Orleans. Blancq had to take a bus to Logan from his seasonal job in New Hampshire and was unsure of the storm's path.

“I hope that my flight doesn't get cancelled because I don't know what I'll do,” Blancq said.

Bus and train travellers also braced for cancellations and delays.

In Montana, several ski areas announced closures on Wednesday and Thursday because of the extremely cold air and sustained winds. Others scaled back offerings. Schools were also closed due to the cold. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)