Wind, rain pose hurdles for Christmas Eve travelers

NEW YORK – Christmas Eve shaped up to be windy, wet and warm instead of white across much of the country, creating headaches for travelers in the Great Lakes, the Northeast and a storm-battered swath of the South.

While parts of the South cleaned up from severe storms that killed at least four people, a system that forecasters had feared could bring several inches of snow to the Midwest, including the air travel hub of Chicago, mostly petered out or turned out to be rain.

Still, by Wednesday afternoon, more than 300 flights had been canceled in the U.S., according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was hardest hit, accounting for about 100 of the cancellations.

Parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota reported snow accumulations from just a dusting to up to 4 inches.

Holiday travelers in Ohio, Michigan and New York faced the prospect of windy weather. A high wind warning was issued from Wednesday evening to this morning for much of northern Ohio.

Meteorologists warned that gusts of 65 mph in western New York could blow away holiday decorations. Heavy rain was predicted to accompany the wind across New England, where much of the region was put under a flood watch.

In Michigan, utility companies braced for extremely strong winds a year after a storm put thousands of people in the dark at Christmas.

Power companies struggled to restore electricity to thousands of people in Mississippi after severe weather killed at least four people, injured about 50, and damaged or destroyed an unknown number of homes and businesses.

In south Georgia, more than 50 counties were under a tornado watch as thunderstorms continued in many parts of the state.

In eastern Colorado, Interstate 70 was shut down into Kansas for eight hours because of wind and snow.