Just before 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, there were already nearly 1,500 canceled flights and 3,700 delayed flights going in and out of the U.S., according to FlightAware.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport had the highest number of canceled flights at 203, a 46% cancellation rate, said the site. In a Twitter post, the MSP airport said the storm had caused 400 cancellations.
Denver International Airport had the second highest at 125, Detroit Metro Wayne County was in third with 120, Toronto International was fourth with 77 and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago was in fifth with 71. On Tuesday, there were just 331 total canceled flights coming into or going out of the U.S., per FlightAware.
By Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service warned that a coast-to-coast winter storm would produce heavy snow and blizzard conditions in the West and Northern Plains, along with more snow and rain across the nation.
“In fact, heavy snowfall rates of as much as 1 to 2 inches/hour are expected to combine with winds locally as high as 40 to 50 mph to drive significant impacts that will include major disruptions to travel, infrastructure, livestock and recreation,” said the National Weather Service. It explained that the storm was made of low-pressure waves.
Even people in the Las Vegas, Nev., area could see snow.
Parts of the Midwest could see an additional 6 to 12 inches of snow, “with some amounts perhaps as high as 18 inches through Thursday,” said the service.
Heavy snow and ice were expected in the Upper Midwest and Northeast, while thunderstorms and heavy rainfall was predicted in portions of the Midwest. Extreme cold was set to hit the Northern Plains at the same time record-breaking warmth was expected in the East.
“Across the Pacific Coast and the Intermountain West, heavy snowfall rates and strong winds will combine to produce near-blizzard conditions here as well,” according to the National Weather Service, and, “by later Thursday and Friday, the heavy snowfall threat across the West should become much more concentrated over California as a new storm system developing just off the West Coast drops south.”
More snow is expected through the end of the week, said the service. According to flight aware, there were already nearly 350 cancellations for flights into and out of the U.S. expected Thursday.
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