Terrifying image shows monster winter storm bearing down on U.S. as Thanksgiving travelers face massive cancellations on busiest travel day of the year

NASA has released a terrifying image of the monster storm bearing down on the country as Thanksgiving travelers using the East Coast's major airport face cancellations and massive delays. 
The photograph, taken from space by the Suomi satellite, shows the sprawling winter storm Boreas moving from the Midwest and bringing a messy mix of snow, rain and howling winds to the East.
By Wednesday morning, Boreas will impact the entire East Coast, likely creating havoc on the roads and in the air when as many as 43 million people are expecting to be traveling.

More than three million people are expected to filter through airports over the weekend, and high winds and low clouds could snarl takeoffs and landings at some of the busiest hubs on the East
By Wednesday morning, more than 300 flights had been canceled across the country and more than 600 were delayed, according to FlightStats.

Taking over: An image released by NASA shows the large winter system moving across the United States that's combining with cold air from Canada, bringing snow and travel chaos to some areas

NBC reported that there are already average delays of 93 minutes at La Guardia Airport in Queens, New York. Transportation officials advised travelers to check with their airlines before traveling.
The Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and northern New York could get six to 12 inches of snow on Wednesday before the storm moves into western Maine on Thursday.

 

Heavy rain and breezy conditions are to strike the East Coast from the Carolinas to the Northeast.
East of the snow front, the I-95 highway corridor from Boston to New York could receive 2 to 3-1/2 inches of rain.
Meteorologists warned that the storm, which has moved across the country, would almost certainly upset holiday travel plans on Wednesday for those hoping to visit loved ones in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Travelers wait in line to board a flight at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Tuesday as those who could got on earlier flights to avoid being delayed by winter storm Boreas

Here we go again: Travelers wait in security lines in the terminal at Reagan Washington National Airport on November 26 amid heavy flight delays

Traffic moves in heavy rain in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on Tuesday as the vicious storm headed up the East Coast in time for Thanksgiving

As of Tuesday night, the storm was responsible for 14 deaths in five states. Most were tied to traffic accidents in Oklahoma, Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona.
A four-year-old girl was killed in Roosevelt County, New Mexico on Friday when her family's car slid off the road and flipped over, state police reported.
A man's body was recovered by fire crews on Friday after it is believed he was swept away by swelling waters in the Santa Cruz River, Arizona.
Tom Niziol, winter weather expert at The Weather Channel, said: 'By the time this is over, Winter Storm Boreas (the rain and snowy side) will affect more than 32 states and will have impacted more than 200 million people.'
The wintry weather set in on Tuesday in the interior Northeast. Buffalo, Pittsburgh and the Ohio Great Lakes region suffered heavy snowfall.

Threat: An image shows the heavy rain and snow predicted to hit the East Coast before Thanksgiving

Blanketed: A forecast also shows how many inches of snow places in the North East could face in the storm

Expert Chris Vaccaro told weather.com that heavy rain and high winds would impact travel by air and road in the northeast and mid-Atlantic and have a ripple effect on airports with departing and originating flights elsewhere.
Many travelers were moving to earlier flights, taking advantage of airlines' policies to waive their normal change fees.
Lisa Jablon was originally supposed to fly Delta from New York City to Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday at 9.30am.
But after following the storm's movements, she decided to jump on the last flight out on Tuesday night.
'I'm flying up to spend the holiday with my boyfriend's family and I didn't want to get stuck,' Jablon said. 'The rain seems to be better off tonight than it looks tomorrow morning.'

There were delays across the board out of Penn Station on Tuesday night as travelers tried to make an early start on their journeys for Thanksgiving

William Witters, of Valparaiso, Indiana, patiently waits to get home at Chicago Midway International Airport on Tuesday

Travelers at Penn Station wait to board an Amtrak train going to Richmond, Virginia on November 26 as massive delays were expected due to severe weather forecasts

Those traveling by train on the East Coast on Tuesday evening also faced delays. Around 6pm at Penn Station in Manhattan on Tuesday, the board showed delays on all departing trains.

WHAT STORM? BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPERS CAMP FOR BARGAINS

Despite severe weather forecasts across the U.S., the most hardened bargain-hunters paid little heed as they bedded down early for Black Friday deals.
Identical triplet brothers in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio were the first in line for the sales when they set up a camp outside the local Best Buy last Monday afternoon - a full ten days before Thanksgiving.
Jonas Allooh and his two brothers have been camping out for Black Friday deals for the past four years, but were tired of always being second in line. This year, they made it a point to get out earlier to be the first.
Best Buy - along with retailers including Macy's, J.C. Penney and Staples -  will open on Thanksgiving for the first time this year. 
Toys R Us will open at 5pm., and Wal-Mart -  already open 24 hours in many locations - will start holiday deals at 6pm, two hours earlier than last year.
In recent years, some retail employees and their supporters have started online petitions to protest stores that open on Thanksgiving - but shoppers keep coming.

The good news is that the storm is supposed to pass through the Northeast before Thanksgiving Day, with the weather mostly clearing up by Wednesday evening.
Most airlines are hoping the storms won't be too severe, allowing them to continue operating a nearly full schedule with few cancellations, but likely a lot of delays, said Daniel Baker, CEO of FlightAware, a global flight tracking service.
'Cancellations are used as a good, preventative measure to avoid cascading delays that can negatively impact travelers thousands of miles away,' Baker said.
The storm system could also spawn isolated tornadoes in the Florida Panhandle. The Southeast is set to suffer soaking rain in the coming days, primarily in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
'It couldn't have come at a worse time,' said meteorologist Tim Morrin of the National Weather Service.
'Visibility will be restricted not only by the rain and wash from other cars, but from the fog.'
This holiday will likely see the most air travelers since 2007, according to Airlines for America, the industry's trade and lobbying group, with the busiest day being Sunday, an estimated 2.56 million passengers. Wednesday is expected to be the second-busiest, with 2.42 million passengers.
Nearly 300 flights American Airlines and American Eagle were canceled in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday due to the weather.

Passengers board a Megabus headed to St Louis, and Memphis on Tuesday in Chicago - a cheaper option than flights and train travel

It was a soggy run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday in New York City (Union Square is pictured) on Tuesday as people battled blustery winds and driving rain

A woman looks pensive as she talks on her mobile phone as the rain begins to fall in New York City as thousands of holiday plans were placed in doubt

Passing storm: Isabella Lemons, 4, plays with snow while waiting for her sister to get off the bus in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday

Frozen: Kathleen Kazmier walks off the frozen Swann Memorial Fountain at Logan Circle on Monday, Nov. 25, 2013, in Philadelphia

Ninety per cent of travelers this week will drive, according to AAA, and an estimated 38.9 million people - 1.6 per cent fewer than last year - are expected to drive 50 miles or more from their home.
As the holiday approaches on November 28, high winds could ground the giant character balloons in the Macy's Inc Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
City rules bar the huge balloons from flying when sustained winds top 23 miles per hour (37 km per hour), and gusts exceed 34 mph. Current forecasts call for sustained winds of 20 mph and gusts of 36 mph.
'At this time, it is too early to make any determinations on the flight of the giant balloons,' said Macy's spokesman Orlando Veras.

Melissa Fitzwater, 30, and son Kaleb Jones, seven, have been camped in front of Best Buy in Tampa, Florida since Monday

The rain bounces down in Times Square, Manhattan as a man walks in front of the U.S. flag on Tuesday, November 26

A map of the U.S. showing where a winter storm is expected to disrupt travel plans over the Thanksgiving holiday

'On Thanksgiving morning, Macy's works closely with the NYPD, who, based on real time weather data and the official regulations determine if the balloons will fly and at what heights.'
The storm is combining with a cold front that dropped temperatures to minus 3F (minus 19.4C) at Saranac Lake, New York, the coldest spot in the contiguous United States on Monday morning.
New Hampshire's Supreme Court was briefly forced to close on Monday because it had lost heat and electricity.