Over 600 O’Hare flights canceled as heavy snow slams Chicago

A robust winter storm barreling via the Midwest despatched Chicago’s airports into chaos Saturday, with greater than 600 flights worn out at O’Hare earlier than the heaviest snow even arrived.

O’Hare logged 627 cancellations by 9:45 a.m., together with 331 delays, in line with FlightAware. 

The Chicago Department of Aviation stated delays were averaging 37 minutes as fliers packed terminals making an attempt to flee the mess.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a floor delay at O’Hare that stretched to roughly 5 hours. 

A short floor cease earlier within the morning had been lifted by 9:45 a.m.

Midway fared higher however nonetheless noticed main disruptions.

The airport reported 76 cancellations by 9:50 a.m. and delays underneath quarter-hour.

That amounted to 29% of flights canceled at Midway and 46% at O’Hare.

The storm was anticipated to dump as much as 10 inches of snow throughout the area, snarling Thanksgiving return journey on the roads as properly.

Illinois State Police urged drivers to decelerate, anticipate slick pavement and provides additional area as situations deteriorate.

The National Weather Service warned journey may grow to be “very difficult to impossible,” with heavy snow and robust winds threatening scattered outages. 

Crews in Chicago deployed greater than 220 salt spreaders in a single day to maintain essential roads, bridges and DuSable Lake Shore Drive satisfactory.

The winter storm warning stays in impact via early Sunday.