The weather outside was frightful for holiday drivers on Wednesday, as a massive pre-winter storm slammed the New York area on the busiest travel day of the year.

Motorists skidded off slick highways, including this driver, who spun out while heading west on I-84 in Carmel.

The situation at the airports wasn’t much better. More than 1,200 flights were canceled or delayed by late afternoon, largely at Newark and La Guardia.

In fact, Newark and La Guardia had more total flight cancellations than any other national airport on Wednesday, according to Global Gateway Alliance.

Chanel Milord, 20, a junior at Long Island University, said this would be her first Thanksgiving away from her family.

She had paid $564 for a flight from La Guardia back to Myrtle Beach, SC.

“I was crying so hard on the phone that my grandmother could not understand what I was saying,” said Milord, sitting forlornly on her luggage.