The Latest: Snow, ice and frigid temperatures make for a dangerous winter mix

By The Associated Press

A major winter blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures in the U.S. stirred dangerous travel conditions from central and southern states all the way to the East Coast early Monday, prompting schools and government offices in several states to close.

Over the weekend, at least 600 motorists were stranded in Missouri, authorities said. Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky.

Winter weather often causes flight delays and cancellations. While airlines can’t control the weather, they are required in the U.S. to provide refunds to customers whose flights are canceled.

Here's the latest:

West Coast faces much different weather threat

As the eastern U.S. shivers under a polar vortex, some on the West Coast face a very different weather threat: dry conditions conducive for wildfires.

Winds will whip up and humidity levels will drop in Southern California this week, raising the risk for fires in parched areas still recovering from a recent destructive blaze, forecasters warned Monday.

“Scattered downed trees and power outages are likely, in addition to rapid fire growth and extreme behavior with any fire starts,” the weather service office for Los Angeles said on the social platform X.

Recent dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, where there’s been very little rain so far this season.

Hundreds of flights disrupted around the U.S.

The winter storm brought chilly misery for airline passengers across the United States on Monday with thousands of flights canceled or delayed, especially around the nation’s capital.

According to tracking platform FlightAware.com, more than 800 flights were canceled or delayed in and out of Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., which saw several inches of snow with more in the forecast as President-elect Donald Trump’s victory was set to be certified.

More than 300 flights were impacted at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

So far, Chicago O’Hare International had 730 flights called off or postponed.

Schools closing as storm conditions intensify in some areas

School closings are expected to be widespread Monday. Districts in Indiana, Virginia and Kentucky began announcing cancellations and delays on Sunday afternoon. Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes, extracurricular activities and athletics for its nearly 100,000 students.

Classes also have been cancelled in Maryland, where Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency Sunday and announced the state government would be closed Monday.

“Keeping Marylanders safe is our top priority. Please stay off the roads during this storm. Prepare your home and family and charge your communications devices in case you lose power,” Moore said in a statement.