Sen.Ted Cruzwas spotted on a flight from Texas to California as his home state braces for asevere winter storm.
Shea Jordan Smith, a political strategist, posteda photo of the Texas Republicanon a Jan. 20 flight to Southern California on X later the same day.
Cruz's office said in a statement to USA TODAY that the trip was, "pre-planned work travel that was scheduled weeks in advance."
The statement added that the senator would be back inTexasahead of the storm's arrival.
The post claims that the flight was destined for Laguna Beach, however the tony beach town south of Anaheim does not have an airport. John Wayne Airport in Orange County is the nearest airline hub. USA TODAY has reached out to Smith to clarify the flight's destination.
The photo drew comparisons to a 2021 incident in which the senator fled the state for Cancún, Mexico, in the midst of an ongoing winter storm. Cruzsaid at the timethe trip was "obviously a mistake."
Cruz was out of the country on apre-planned vacation to Athens, Greece, whendevastating flash floods hitthe Texas Hill Country in 2025. Cruz "promptly" booked a return flight, his office said at the time.
Winter storm threatens wide swath of nation
Forecasters are warning of asprawling winter stormthat's predicted to spread a mess of ice and snow over a 2,000-mile stretch of the nation later this week, from Texas to the Northeast.
"Confidence continues to increase on an expansive major winter storm impacting much of the southern and eastern portions of the country Friday (Jan. 23) through Sunday (Jan. 25)," the National Weather Service said on Jan. 20.
A fierce Arctic blast of bitterly cold air is poised to overtake much of the central, eastern and southern U.S. over the next few days, dropping temperatures well below average as far south as Florida. See the impact." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Photos show heavy snow, frigid weather from Arctic blast
Afierce Arctic blast of bitterly coldair is poised to overtake much of the central, eastern and southern U.S. over the next few days, dropping temperatures well below average as far south as Florida. See the impact.
Warming shelters, salt stockpiles:The South braces for winter storm
Specifically, the wide-ranging winter storm will produce great swaths of heavy snow, sleet and treacherous freezing rain from the southern Rockies/Plains and Mid-South starting Friday and shifting toward the East Coast through Sunday.
Exactly where the storm sets up and tracks will determine where the snow and ice will be, according to AccuWeather. Residents from Colorado and Wyoming through the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts are urged to stay on alert for forecast updates, especially with the threat of ice becoming a possibility.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ted Cruz seen on flight to California as Texas preps for winter storm
