Snow, Frigid Temperatures Disrupt Travel

The only sign of holiday spirit at Detroit International Airport today came on those all-too-rare moments when the public-address system crackled with news of a flight landing or taking off.

A huge cheer rippled through the terminal, because it meant that some lucky travelers, at last, were getting where they wanted to be for Christmas.

Across the country, many more were stuck.

A powerful storm ripped across the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains and as far south as the Texas Panhandle on Wednesday night and into today. It dumped up to 2 feet of snow in some regions, snarling highways and forcing the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights.

In Southern California, gusty Santa Ana winds could hamper road traffic, but air travelers moved smoothly this morning, a spokesman said.

“The terminals are bristling with passengers,” Harold Johnson, a spokesman for Los Angeles International Airport, said. “It looks like a typical Friday, with people getting out of town.”

Airlines estimated that 2.8 million travelers would pass through LAX from Dec. 17 through Jan. 2. That’s 7% higher than last year, but not a record. The busiest days were expected to be today and Friday and the following weekend.

To help reduce vehicle congestion outside the airport, a new cell phone parking lot opened this month. Motorists can stop for free — but not leave cars unattended — and wait for a cell phone call from arriving passengers before driving to the terminal.

Very strong winds, with gusts up to 60 mph, were forecast in Southern California mountain passes beginning this afternoon and lasting into the night. Wind also was expected to cause hazardous conditions for small boats and dangerous rip currents in some areas.

In southern Indiana, thousands of motorists were stuck in their cars for up to 14 hours as a 30-mile stretch of Interstate 64 turned into an icy parking lot. In central Ohio, more than 300,000 people were without power — and without much hope of getting it back in time to prepare Christmas Eve roasts.

And here in Detroit, Wally Stelf paced a terminal packed with grouchy travelers, wondering if the delay was a sign from on high.

He had been (nervously) planning to propose to his girlfriend in Phoenix this Christmas. Now he had plenty of time to think about it. Too much time, perhaps. “Maybe I need to go get a beer,” he decided.

By this afternoon, some of the air and ground congestion had eased, as the storm swept east and began pounding New England with heavy rain.

Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan declared a disaster emergency in the southern part of the state and urged residents to stay off the roads so state police and National Guard could clear stranded vehicles.

Friday should be reasonably clear across much of the country, said meteorologist Tom Carlson of Weather Central Inc. in Madison, Wis. “Nothing that Rudolph’s nose can’t get him through.”

Mostly clear skies were forecast in the Los Angeles area through Christmas night — a situation certain to strike envy in the hearts of many people living — or stranded — in the Midwest.

For millions slammed by the worst of the storm, forecasts for a nice weekend were small consolation.

“I’ve been here since before breakfast, and I swear I’m going to be here until Christmas dinner,” Stacy Clardyn fumed after waiting in Detroit’s airport for hours.

She was hoping to get to her sister’s home in Chicago, but her flight was canceled -- twice. And her patience was running out. “I can’t believe how bad this is,” she said.

Hufstutter reported from Detroit, Simon from St. Louis. Times staff writer Mary MacVean reported and handled rewrite from Los Angeles.