Snow storm downs plane in South Dakota

Harsh wintry weather is preventing federal investigators from reaching the site of a plane crash in South Dakota that killed nine people over the weekend. Three others on board the single-engine aircraft are hospitalized in critical condition. The plane took off from Chamberlain, S.D., around noon on Saturday for Idaho Falls, Idaho, before crashing in an area under a winter storm warning. The passengers, ages 7 to 81, belonged to the same family and were returning from a hunting trip, according to local media.

Is the weather getting worse? A massive winter storm is snarling travel for millions in the northeastern United States and is expected to dump freezing rain, sleet, and snow from Minnesota to Maine. Airlines have issued dozens of travel alerts and canceled hundreds of flights. The Monday after Thanksgiving is typically one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Dig deeper: Read the latest weather alert at the National Weather Service’s website.