The heavy snowfall and storm affecting the Midwest and Great Lakes region of the United States caused difficulties for passengers returning from the Thanksgiving holiday. Due to adverse weather conditions, around 2,500 flights were cancelled nationwide over the weekend, leaving thousands of passengers waiting at airports for hours.
Airports in Chicago and Milwaukee Ground to a Halt
While the snowfall disrupted daily life especially in Midwestern states such as Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, major airports in the Chicago and Milwaukee regions faced a wave of cancellations.
- On Saturday, 1,974 flights
- On Sunday, 490 flights were cancelled.
According to data from flight tracking platform FlightAware, approximately 1,115 flights were also delayed during the same period.
Thanksgiving Traffic Turns into a Crisis at Airports
Thousands of people travelling back from the Thanksgiving holiday created heavy congestion at airports following the flight cancellations. It was reported that snow depth reached up to 30 centimetres in some areas, causing significant disruptions in air traffic.
Storm to Shift East, Normalisation Expected in Flights
Meteorology officials announced that the snow and storm system is expected to move toward the eastern regions of the country starting today. With this shift, a gradual improvement in flights in the Midwest region is anticipated.
Officials also reported that snowfall will continue to affect northern parts of New York and certain areas of Pennsylvania throughout the week.
