toward or towards - that is the question

Which is it?  Toward or towards?  Both are considered correct. They are often considered interchangeable, but are they?  According to the pundits, toward is more common in American English whereas towards is preferred in Britain.

Main Entry:

¹to·ward

Pronunciation:

\ˈtō-ərd, ˈtȯ(-ə)rd\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English toward, from Old English tōweard facing, imminent, from tō, preposition, to + -weard -ward

Date:

before 12th century

1also to·wards \ˈtō-ərdz, ˈtȯ(-ə)rdz\ [Middle English towardes, from Old English tōweardes, preposition, toward, from tōweard, adjective] a: coming soon : imminent b: happening at the moment : afoot

Personally, towards makes me cringe.  To me, it seems too weird.  How do y'all feel about it?