Nearly Half A Million Without Power After Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Record Snow

See The Midwest Blizzard Live On-Air

More than 450,000 homes and businesses were without power Tuesday after a one-two punch from Winter Storm Iona and severe storms and multiple tornadoes.

That's down from more than half-a-million outages throughout Monday and early Tuesday. The bulk of those outages are in Michigan where more than 111,000 customers were left in the dark Monday night, according to the latest numbers from PowerOutage.us.

Iona dropped 36 inches of snow in the community of Herman in the western Upper Peninsula. Our senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman says at least 14 counties across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula may have set all-time snow records.

(MORE: Our Complete Severe Outbreak Recap)

Travel Nightmare Continues

More than 1,700 flights were canceled Tuesday morning, and delays were topping 10,000 according to FlightAware.com.

That's down from the more than 4,000 flights canceled nationwide Monday. The FAA temporarily grounded flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. There was also a ground delay at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston due to winds.

The severe weather combined with the continuing government shutdown created a nightmare scenario for travelers trying to get through security in Atlanta. People were jammed together in long lines snaking through the airport .

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport shared video of the astonishingly long lines of travelers waiting to get through security before daybreak Monday.

(MORE: Traveling Today? Check Our Travel Tracker)

TSA union leaders in Atlanta held a news conference Monday outside Hartsfield-Jackson, warning that air travelers could face increasingly long wait times as the shutdown continues. Even so, union leaders said, many officers are still reporting to work despite mounting financial strain.

Monday's Severe Weather

The National Weather Service has confirmed 22 tornadoes since Sunday's severe outbreak, including an EF0 in Charlotte, South Carolina on Monday. No injuries were reported but multiple homes were damaged and a roof was ripped from a warehouse.

On Monday we also saw a flurry of reports from neighborhoods and communities up and down the East Coast of downed trees and powerlines cutting off roads. Fire departments, sheriff's deputies and utility crews were out all night Sunday and early Monday inspecting damage and working to clear roads.

Schools in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, were closed Monday, and the state's governor urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of expected wind gusts of 74 mph.

In Atlanta, public schools switched to remote learning as tornado watches were issued across the metro area. Other school districts outside of the city have delayed the start of classes by several hours. Washington, D.C., schools closed two hours early.

In Alabama, the Morgan County Sheriff's department shared video of snow falling between Hartselle and Decatur. The National Weather Service also issued a Winter Weather Advisory, as scattered snow showers fell across north Georgia Monday afternoon.

Winter Storm Wallop

The snow totals in the Midwest are simply staggering. Greenbay, Wisconsin, is digging out from its second heaviest snowstorm ever recorded, after getting 26.6 inches of snow.

The blizzard conditions and deep snow trapped people on highways through the region. Southbound lanes of Interstate 35 were shut down Sunday afternoon in southeast Minnesota. The state DOT said no travel is advised on state highways in the area.

In Wisconsin, dozens of vehicles were stuck on I-94 near Osseo on Sunday.

In Michigan, the Coast Guard and Mackinac Island firefighters pulled off a daring rescue in whiteout conditions after a man on a snowmobile went out onto the ice of the Straits and got lost.

Mackinac Island Fire Chief Jason St. Onge and five other firefighters went out on the ice, and the chief said: "It was extremely slow going as drifting snow was waist deep and the ice jagged and difficult to climb over."

A Coast Guard cutter was able to spot the man who had reached open water, and the crew picked him up and got him on board their vessel.

It took firefighters 40 minutes to walk 2,000 feet back to shore in the arduous conditions. In a press release, the Fire Department said, "The ice is no joke, not an inland lake or a mill pond, conditions can and do change by the minute. Not one entity endorses the ice nor is anyone in charge of its safety or security. Each and every trip is CROSS AT YOUR OWN RISK. In this particular case it was cross at the First Responders risk."

This is a developing story; check back frequently for updates.