The far-flung effects of Hurricane Sandy are being felt in Minnesota. As of 4 a.m. Monday, about 40 flights had been canceled from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to East Coast destinations including Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., WCCO reports. Nationwide, thousands of flights are grounded, the Associated Press reports.

The storm could create huge waves on the Great Lakes, including 12-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Associated Press reports.

The Weather Channel anchor Kelly Cass called Sandy "one of the biggest storms of our lifetimes." The storm is notable in part for its size. Hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the coast between Chincoteague, Va., and Chatham, Mass., the National Hurricane Center says.

Sandy is on a path to make landfall in New Jersey late Monday or early Tuesday, forecasters say. Residents along the East Coast have been evacuating.

In New York City, the major stock exchanges called off business and Broadway shows were closed, the New York Times reports. As in Washington, D.C., subways, commuters trains and buses were halted.

President Barack Obama canceled campaign events in Florida and flew back to Washington to oversee the response, the Washington Post reported.