Post-Thanksgiving Winter Storm Snarls Travel—Over 4,000 Flights Delayed

3 weeks ago 13

Topline

A winter storm in the Midwest is impacting air traffic as thousands of Americans try to travel after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, after breaking single-day snowfall records in Chicago.

A storm has already brought over eight inches of snowfall to parts of Illinois, including Chicago.

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Key Facts

The National Weather service placed millions of Americans in the central Midwest under winter weather advisories, including the cities of Chicago, Milwaukee, Des Moines and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

As of around 12:30 p.m. EST, more than 4,200 flights were already delayed in the U.S. and another 572 canceled, according to online tracker FlightAware.

The majority of these delays and cancellations took place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which saw 368 delayed flights and 104 canceled.

The National Weather Service in Chicago said the city could expect more snowfall of up to one inch, as well as 35 mph wind gusts, after a major storm dumped over eight inches on the city on Saturday.

The storm could create “slippery road conditions” and reduced visibility due to blowing snow, forecasters said.

Separately, a cold front pushing past the East Coast was bringing cold temperatures and rain to major cities, with winter weather further inland—nearly 90% of Thanksgiving travelers planned to do so by car, AAA reported heading into the holiday.

Key Background

Sunday’s winter weather comes only one day after a storm brought 8.4 inches of snow to Chicago on Saturday, shattering the city’s November record for snowfall in a single day that was previously set in 1951. Snow is still accumulating in the Windy City on Sunday, and snow at Chicago O’Hare measured 8.6 inches as of 6 a.m. CST, according to the National Weather Service. The storm has also brought at least 8.7 inches to Rockford International Airport and 7.2 inches to Chicago Midway International Airport. The snowfall also measured 8.5 inches at the National Weather Service’s office in Romeoville, Illinois on Sunday morning.

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