Millions of Americans across the US are bracing for difficult weather conditions during the Christmas holiday, with storms threatening to further disrupt one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Up and down the east coast, the first storm of the winter blanketed cities from Boston to Baltimore with ice and snow.

Meanwhile, California residents are cleaning up the aftermath of a storm that brought hurricane-forced winds, flooding and high surf on Monday, killing one man.

The weather events further complicate travel plans for Americas who are already facing air travel delays following a ground stop of American Airlines flights due to a technology issue.

On the east coast, winter precipitation is expected to impact travel for many as heavy snow falls in areas such as Boston and New York, while Baltimore and Washington DC braced for precipitation and ice.

On the west coast, Monday’s storm caused a pier to collapse and threw three people into the Pacific Ocean.

Waves from that storm reached 60ft (18m) and forced some evacuations. Flooding and high surf warnings remain in effect on Tuesday.

Weather is not the only thing impacting holiday travel on Tuesday, with technological issues adding further stress as millions of Americans hurry to their destinations.

Early Tuesday, American Airlines flights were halted after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a “nationwide groundstop” due to a “vendor technology issue”.

The groundstop was lifted about an hour after it began and flights resumed, but not without creating a ripple of delays.

Delays continued into the day on Tuesday with some departures taking off two hours after they were scheduled.

American Airlines apologized for the inconvenience and said: “It’s all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible”.

While many morning flights were delayed Tuesday, most afternoon flights are scheduled to depart on time.