More than 100 flights have been canceled across the Chicago area Wednesday amid weather alerts warning of freezing rain, ice, sleet and high winds.
O'Hare Airport reported more than 100 flights had been canceled as of 11:30 a.m. Another 43 were canceled at Midway Airport around the same time.
A winter weather system bringing blizzard warnings to Minnesota and winter storm warnings to Wisconsin inched its way into the Chicago area Wednesday morning, with ice, sleet, freezing rain, thunder and winds gusting as high as 35 miles per hour set to impact different parts of the region throughout the day, the NBC 5 Storm Team said.
Weather problems contributed to more than 1,200 canceled flights across the country by midmorning, according to tracking service FlightAware. About one third of those canceled flights – roughly 400 – were due to arrive or depart from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
For much of the Chicago area, the storm is expected to be in the form of freezing rain, heavy downpours, sleet and strong, gusting winds.
In Lee and DuPage counties, a winter weather advisory will expire by 3 p.m. However, in Northern Cook, Lake, Kane and DeKalb counties, the advisory will remain in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday.
There, ice projections reach up to two tenths of an inch, though some locations could reach even higher.
Weather
Winds are expected to remain strong across the area, with gusts up to 35 mph creating difficult travel conditions.
By the afternoon, sleet and freezing rain is expected to the north, while heavy downpours can be expected farther south, the NBC 5 Storm Team says. Across the area, the NWS says a mix of strong winds and wintery precipitation will likely impact the afternoon commute.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
That rain will continue to grow heavier in the afternoon and early evening hours, bringing the potential for a few thunderstorms and flooding across parts of the Chicago area. Anywhere from 1-2 inches of rain is expected, though in some locations those numbers could reach up to 3 inches.
"Difficult ravel conditions are possible," the NWS says, adding residents and drivers should "prepare for possible power outages."
Wednesday evening, sleet and steady rain are expected to gradually come to an end, though some precipitation could remain overnight. However, strong winds are expected to persist, and even increase up to 40 mph Thursday.
