With Chicago O'Hare and Midway International airports reporting more than 745 combined cancellations, you're going to want to check your flight.
As of Thursday morning at 12 p.m., 516 O'Hare flights have been canceled, FlyChicago reports. At Midway, that number is 247. Delays at both airports are staying steady, at approximately 15 minutes.
According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, approximately 2.9 million travelers are expected to pass through O'Hare and Midway International Airports between Dec. 21 and Jan. 2.
"We have 500 staff members who are ready to work 24/7, and 350 pieces of snow removing equipment," said Karen Pride, a spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Aviation said. "Lots of salt and lots of de-icer for the roadways. The airlines are prepared to de-ice their aircraft."
Live Winter Storm Updates: Secretary of State Offices Join Growing List of Closures As Winter Storm Rolls In
But it's not just a Midwest winter storm that could be impacting your travel. The storm, set to hit the Chicago area around noon Thursday, has created airline weather advisories spanning from coast to coast.
"If you go to the airport and the flight keeps getting delayed and then canceled, all those seats that were going to be taken for a few days later are going to be gone," said travel influencer John DiScala, who runs the travel website Johnny Jet.
"I would be proactive," DiScala said. "Get on it now; save yourself a miserable experience. Stay warm. Stay home or in your hotel, then travel."
As of Thursday morning, several major carriers offered changes to certain itineraries for no fee. Note that passengers may need to re-book by a certain date in order to have change fees waived. Here's a breakdown:
- American Airlines: No change fee for scheduled flights between Dec. 21 and Dec. 23
- Southwest Airlines: No change fee for scheduled flights between Dec. 21 and Dec. 26.
- United Airlines: No change fee for scheduled flights between Dec 22 and Dec. 25
- Delta Airlines: No change fee for scheduled flights between Dec. 21 and Dec. 25
- Jet Blue: No change fee for scheduled flights between Dec. 21 and Dec. 23
- Frontier Airlines: No change fee for scheduled flights between Dec. 21 and Dec. 24
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"If [airlines] are offering you a travel waiver where they will change your ticket for free, no charge, and put you on a couple of days later after the storm, get on it now while there are still seats available, if there are still seats available" DiScala said.
Winter Storm Warning In Effect for Chicago Area
According to the National Weather Service, a winter storm warning will go into effect at noon Thursday through Saturday morning for the entire Chicago area, stretching as far south as Kankakee, as far west as Naperville and as far north as Waukegan.
In some western suburbs, including Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, Ottawa and Elgin, the warning will go into effect even earlier, beginning at 9 a.m.
In Porter County in northwest Indiana, a blizzard warning beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday will go into effect.
Latest forecast models show snow and blowing snow may result in "white- out conditions" that lead to zero visibility at times, making travel "extremely difficult." As dangerously temperatures plummet from 30 degrees to 16 degrees and wind chills as low as 25 to 35 degrees below zero move in Thursday afternoon, roads are expected to become quickly iced-over.
Conditions for frostbite are expected, and power outages are also a possibility, thanks to wind gusts up to 50 miles-per-hour.
And although the latest snow total predictions remain between three and six inches, with most of it occurring Thursday afternoon and into the evening, the combination of "gusty winds, and plummeting temperatures will make travel conditions treacherous from Thursday afternoon onward," the NWS says.
The bottom line, the Illinois State Police warns, stay off the roads "for the next couple of days" unless travel is "absolutely necessary."
"If travel is absolutely necessary, allow enough time for travel and remain focused on the hazardous road conditions," the ISP said. "Slow down AND move over for those vehicles stranded on the side of the road and for those emergency vehicles and personnel assisting them," the message read.
