Hundreds of flights canceled as winter storm moves through Midwest

A winter storm passing through the Midwest and entangling Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has forced hundreds of flights to be canceled or delayed.

The storm is pushing to the Northeast and could bring a mix of snow and rain to coastal cities.

Nearly 700 flights in and out of O’Hare were canceled as of Friday night, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Flights continued to be backed up Saturday, with more than 200 cancellations and an average of 15-minute delays.

Due to winter weather in Chicago, airlines at ORD have cancelled 220+ flights. For most up to date info, check with carrier.

— O’Hare Intl. Airport (@fly2ohare) January 18, 2020

The FAA halted all flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport Friday night due to a sprawling winter storm hitting large sections of the Midwest https://t.co/kfj9tO7Kdh pic.twitter.com/Q4VkpNGN9c

— KATV News (@KATVNews) January 18, 2020

A number of customers flying out of the airport tweeted about the delays Friday night, providing live updates of the turmoil that was brought about by the cancellations.

Canceled flight. O’Hare Airport. 12:30am. 15hrs to go. #travel #FridayNight pic.twitter.com/f6FJbt0Aew

— William J Mathias Jr (@wjmjredu) January 18, 2020

When the weather goes wild at O’Hare pic.twitter.com/AKw9BHnuYO

— irene (@ireneaad) January 18, 2020

The National Weather Service said the winter storm is expected to continue moving across the Central Plains into the northeast on Saturday, with moderate to heavy snow expected in many parts of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast. 

High winds also hit portions of the Great Plains, with parts of Wyoming experiencing winds of 75 miles per hour, according to the weather service.