While not as severe as the two previous days, air travel delays caused by a wintry mix of snow, high winds and heavy rain continued across the country Saturday, while some areas were expecting up to a foot of snow by day's end.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings Saturday for parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Ohio on the East Coast and also parts of Northern California and Oregon on the West Coast.

As of 6 p.m. ET Saturday, more than 6,300 flights had been delayed and 144 were canceled, according to the website FlightStats.com.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were the most impacted, according to the website’s figures.

On Friday, nearly 900 flights were canceled and 13,500 delayed across the country, FlightStats reported.

Weather.com said the storm was likely to linger over northern New England during the weekend.

“Winds will be the most intense from parts of southern New England and New York to the Mid-Atlantic on Saturday,” it said. “Farther to the west, the Great Lakes snowbelts and Appalachians will continue to see wind-whipped snow on Saturday.”

It warned people in those areas to be prepared for winter driving conditions with “sudden reductions in visibility” due to the weather possible.

On Thursday, two people were killed and seven injured in a 30-vehicle pileup on Interstate 35 in Iowa. Drivers were blinded by blowing snow and didn't see vehicles that had slowed or stopped, causing a chain reaction of crashes, state police said.

Thousands of flights disrupted across US as storm hits Northeast

The storm was also blamed for traffic deaths in three other states: two deaths each in Nebraska and Wisconsin; and one in Kansas.

In Utah, a woman who tried to walk for help after her car became stuck in snow died Tuesday night.

The West Coast was also seeing stormy weather.

The NWS said several inches of rain along with several feet of snow in elevated areas were expected in California and Oregon this weekend.

NBC's Ian Johnston contributed reporting.

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Andrew P Johnson / AP

Gabi Hogg, 7, and her mother Jenny Hogg share a moment before mounting a bike for the July Fourth Parade on Highway 77 in Panama City, Fla. Wednesday.

Millions of Americans headed for parades and fireworks shows on Wednesday to mark a sweltering Fourth of July holiday, some even celebrating as the nation's founders did -- without electricity.

Thunderstorms forced a brief delay in the annual Boston Pops concert and people on the Esplanade for the event were told to take shelter, NBC station WHDH of Boston reported. Two people were reported struck by lightning in south Boston around 11 p.m. but their conditions weren't known, boston.cbslocal.com reported.

CBS said three others were struck by lightning at Weirs Beach in Laconia, N.H., but their conditions weren't known.

Thunderstorms also threatened in the nation's capital, where thousands of visitors from across the continent took part in Independence Day celebrations. 

Hosting the 32nd annual Capitol Fourth, "Dancing with the Stars'" Tom Bergeron told the audience how he was feeling the heat, exclaiming at one point that he was "sweating standing still."

Despite the heat, the usual enormous crowds flocked to the Mall and monuments throughout the day. By 7 p.m., the lawn of the Capitol where the concert took place was about two-thirds filled. Men and women lined the steps of the Capitol building and filled the balconies. The Capitol Fourth Concert ended with fireworks behind the Washington Monument.

Elsewhere, storm-ravaged states from Indiana to Virginia carried on celebrations on Day 5 of a power outage caused by deadly winds ripping through the region. More than 735,000 homes and businesses remained affected and thousands of utility workers stayed on the job in a scramble to restore electricity.

Slideshow: Celebrating Fourth of July

Erik S. Lesser / EPA

Americans celebrate 236 years of independence with parades, fireworks, hot dogs and family fun.

Launch slideshow

"We still have a tree on the garage. It's been one of those weeks," said Gary Belniak, 57, of Wheaton, Ill., who has been without power since Sunday. His town canceled its parade and fireworks display.

Exhausted by three sleepless nights in a house where temperatures hover at about 90 degrees, Belniak said he had all but given up on the holiday.

"I decided to come to work today. That's basically my Fourth of July. I'm so irritated," he said.

In hard-hit West Virginia, Karen Allen said she planned to spend the holiday - her sixth day without power - hunting for ice.

"I'm going to go look for ice, cold gold is what it is, it's very scarce," said Allen, 43, of Charleston, W.Va.

Happy Fourth! Could you pass US citizenship test?

That warmth coupled with dry conditions snuffed out annual firework displays in scores of towns and cities in the West that are reeling from deadly wildfires that charred hundreds of homes and displaced tens of thousands of people.

On the East Coast, tragedy struck when a cache of fireworks apparently accidentally exploded on the back porch of a family home in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, injuring nine people, including two young children with life-threatening injuries, according to Pelham, N.H., firefighter Shawn Buckley. The children, both under age 4, were airlifted to Boston-area hospitals, according to Buckley.

'Orange mushroom cloud': Fireworks explosion injures 9 at New Hampshire home

Narrowsburg, N.Y.: The bald eagle, the very symbol of American independence, brought down the show in the hamlet on the Pennsylvania border. The local fire department canceled its planned fireworks display after being warned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that it could face enormous fines and even prison if any nearby bald eagles were harmed. "We decided we're not going to take the gamble," said Fire Chief George Strumpfler, canceling the show that began more than 100 years ago. "It doesn't look like it's ever going to happen again."

Philadelphia: Ahead of a 5,000-participant parade and what was billed as the nation's largest free concert and fireworks display in the nation's birthplace , Mayor Michael Nutter led a ceremony including a military fly-over, readings from the Declaration of Independence and 13 people, representing the 13 original colonies, becoming naturalized U.S. citizens, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported. The Roots was the house band for the Philly 4th of July Jam on Wednesday evenng, with the band’s drummer, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson serving as musical director. The concert featuring Queen Latifah, Daryl Hall, Common and Joe Jonas and was followed by fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Out of wildfire's ashes, a July 4 extravaganza rises

Chicago: The Windy City suffered through sweltering heat. The Navy Pier was the viewpoint for fireworks synchronized to music over Lake Michigan. The city-sponsored Grant Park show was canceled due to budget cuts.

Reuters, The Associated Press and msnbc.com's Jim Gold contributed to this article.  Follow Jim Gold at msnbc.com on Facebook here.

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More than 40 people were shot in Chicago over the holiday weekend, and at least 10 of them were killed, NBCChicago.com reported.

The latest shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. in Albany Park, a Chicago neighborhood, where police said a man was shot in the face. It followed dozens of shootings across the city since Friday.

"It's been a real rough weekend, a lot of gun violence," community activist Pastor Corey Brooks told ABC News.

Most of the victims were in stable or good condition, but as of Monday morning several remained in serious or critical condition, including the Albany Park victim.

"Very clearly, we have a gang problem in the city of Chicago," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said at a press conference Tuesday, according to Chicago Web publication Gapers Block.

McCarthy said the strategy will include monitoring social media, including Twitter and Facebook, which he said are used as means of communication by gangs.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel mentioned the city's crackdown on liquor stores as another successful measure in curbing gang violence. Liquor stores, he said, are like a "cancer on the community."

Four liquor stores have already been shut down, Gapers Block said, and dozens may have their licenses revoked.

According to the Chicago Tribune, homicides have increased 49 percent so far this year, with 200 people killed in 2012 compared with 134 during the same period in 2011. Shootings are also up nearly 14 percent over last year, the paper reported.

Some experts believe warmer weather could be causing violent crime to spike.

"For us, when the weather's warm, the first thing we think, we're going to get some gunshots in here because we know people are out in the street," Dr. Larry Mitchell of Chicago's Roseland Community Hospital told NPR.  

The 66-degree average temperature in May is the warmest of any Chicago May over the past 35 years, the Chicago Weather Center reported. And Monday's 95-degree high is Chicago's warmest Memorial Day temperature since they started keeping records 142 years ago, according to the weather center.

But police superintendent Gary McCarthy is not ready to blame the weather for the city's spike in the murder rate.

"I'm not willing to chalk it up to the weather, the tides, the moons, voodoo, you name it," he told NPR. Instead, he blames Chicago's gang culture.

The weekend's most violent period was an hour-and-a-half stretch early Sunday morning, when 13 people were shot. The youngest victim is a 7-year-old girl shot Saturday afternoon in the arm as she was playing outside her home. She is expected to recover.

At least four teenagers were also killed in separate shootings this weekend.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police officials are expected to address the public Tuesday on new strategies aimed at reducing crime, ABC News reported. According to the mayor's office, they will announce "coordinated gang-reduction and neighborhood safety strategies."

NBCChicago.com contributed to this report.

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scottsdalegunclub.com

Want to improve the caliber of your family’s Christmas card this year? How about having your picture taken with Santa Claus and your choice of machine guns?

For a fee of $5 for members and $10 for non-members, the Scottsdale Gun Club in Arizona will arrange a Yuletide photo op with Santa and a selection of automatic weapons valued at $170,000.

"It's been really fun," said Brooke Rodda, a spokesperson for the club. "We've had a tremendous response from the community."

The "unique" opportunity, Rodda said, permits families to handle weapons in a "safe, controlled environment." About 500 people turned out for the club’s first shoot on Nov. 26, and Rodda expects more crowds for the second "Santa and Machine Guns" event on Dec. 10.

Among the firearms to choose from are M60s, M249s, M240s and a modified Ar15, as well as more traditional holiday props such as reindeer antlers.

The event isn't attracting just gun enthusiasts:  "It has a broader appeal from families to older people," Rodda said.

But if firearms don’t exactly convey your holiday message, Rodda says don't worry: Santa can be just as disarming for the camera without the weapons.

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About 3.5 million people were expected to crowd the route of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York on Thursday while an additional 50 million watched from home.

A jetpack-wearing monkey and a freakish creation from filmmaker Tim Burton are two of the big new balloons that will make their inaugural appearances, while Mary J. Blige, Cee Lo Green, Avril Lavigne and the Muppets are scheduled to take the stage at the end of the route in Herald Square.

Slideshow: See the colorful cast of characters taking part in the parade

Macy's parade will feature more than 40 other balloon creations, 27 floats, 800 clowns and 1,600 cheerleaders.

The parade began at 77th Street and heads south on Central Park West to Seventh Avenue, before moving to Sixth Avenue and ending at Macy's Herald Square.

The tradition began in 1924 and included live animals such as camels, goats and elephants. It was not until 1927 that the live animals were replaced by giant helium balloons. The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 because rubber and helium were needed for World War II.

Since the beginning, the balloons have been based on popular cultural characters and holiday themes. Returning favorites this year include Buzz Lightyear, Clumsy Smurf, SpongeBob SquarePants and Kermit the Frog.

Bike-powered balloons
Also making their first appearances at this year's parade are a pair of bike-powered balloons, one featuring a bulldog character and an elf balloon designed by Queens resident Keith Lapinig, who won a nationwide contest.

All the balloons are created at Macy's Parade Studio, and each undergoes testing for flight patterns, aerodynamics, buoyancy and lift.

The helium giants were inflated Wednesday across the street from the western side of Central Park. Thousands of people, many families with children in tow, were drawn to the spectacle of the balloons lying as if asleep on the streets, held down by weighted nets.

Standing in front of the famed Snoopy balloon, lying on its side, 8-year-old Emilio Rios said he was glad that there was something to keep the helium giant from getting away.

"Otherwise, it would float up to space, and aliens would see it," he said. "They would be the ones with the parade."

NYT: In this town, turkey picks up bill for Thanksgiving dinner

Nine-year-old Lindsay Ravetz said she loved seeing all the characters.

"It's just, like, cool," she said.

It was cool even for many of the adults. Leslie McCarthy, who said she's over 60, has been attending the parade since she was a little girl. And the excitement of seeing the big balloons hasn't worn off.

"I used to think this parade was put on for me," the Brooklyn resident said.