Nearly 1,800 flights were canceled Saturday in the United States Due to the harsh weather conditions that particularly affect the center, north and west of the country. The Chicago area is one of the hardest hit areas under a winter storm warning.
According to site data FlightAware“Until Saturday evening”About 1,781 flights were canceled in the United States and 6,645 flights were delayed“.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport tops the list of affected stations, with more than 584 departure flights and 585 arrival flights canceled due to the bad weather that struck the region. According to the tracking service, Chicago O’Hare International Airport is by far the hardest hit, and operations at Chicago Midway Airport have also been disrupted, with a total of 246 flights cancelled.
The congestion means that nearly 900 flights departing or arriving at these two airports experienced delays as of Saturday evening. the Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that flights to O’Hare suffered “an average delay of five hours due to snow and ice.”
he National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) on Friday warned of two winter storms hitting the northern and western United States, coinciding with a record number of flights at the time, as thousands of people return home after Thanksgiving.
According to forecasts, the weekend weather expects snowfall due to lake effects throughout the Los Angeles area. Great LakesA “major winter storm” is sweeping across the northern plains, bringing widespread heavy snowfall and hazardous travel conditions.
The storm’s impact isn’t just affecting air traffic: City and state crews have had to redouble their efforts to clear roads and highways in both the Midwest and East Coast, where the storm could create dangerous conditions for thousands of people returning home after Thanksgiving.
The cold weather will continue throughout the day on Sunday in most of the areas reached by storms, and minimum temperatures will be below zero, according to the meteorological services. In addition, it was warned of the possibility of snow in some areas turning into rain on Sunday morning, which may further complicate passenger movement and maintenance tasks on roads and runways.
Currently, meteorologists have indicated that forecast conditions do not meet the criteria needed to declare a blizzard alert, which requires wind gusts of at least 56 kilometers per hour, visibility of less than 400 meters and a sustained duration of more than three hours.
In addition to impacting the Midwest, the current storm and an associated cold front are expected to bring thunderstorms and heavy rain throughout Saturday across a wide swath from southern Missouri into Louisiana and Texas.
Forecasts warn that on Monday and Tuesday there is an increased possibility of another winter storm affecting the country, with freezing rain and ice accumulation in the Appalachian Mountains, in addition to the possibility of moderate to heavy snowfall in the Northeast.
(With information from EFE and Associated Press)