<span style="color: #222222;">In the US, at least six deaths were attributed to severe weather as heavy snow and high winds snarled air and ground transportation during the busy holiday travel period. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">More than 500 flight cancellations and 5,700 delays were reported yesterday as the winter storm blanketed areas from the north central plains and the Midwest with eight to 12 inches of snow.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">National Weather Service (NWS) officials in Minnesota cautioned that roads in the upper Midwestern state were cloaked in snow. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The weather service predicted the treacherous conditions would continue through the weekend across the country.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The NWS said heavy snow was expected in the state of New Mexico from a new storm, with as much as 18 inches possible. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">To the south, heavy rains were forecast in the central Gulf Coast, in the Florida Panhandle, and stretching east to the mid-Atlantic. </span>