A powerful winter storm barreling through the Midwest sent Chicago’s airports into chaos Saturday, with more than 600 flights wiped out at O’Hare before the heaviest snow even arrived.
O’Hare logged 627 cancellations by 9:45 a.m., along with 331 delays, according to FlightAware.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said delays were averaging 37 minutes as fliers packed terminals trying to escape the mess.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground delay at O’Hare that stretched to roughly five hours.
A brief ground stop earlier in the morning had been lifted by 9:45 a.m.
Midway fared better but still saw major disruptions.
The airport reported 76 cancellations by 9:50 a.m. and delays under 15 minutes.
That amounted to 29% of flights canceled at Midway and 46% at O’Hare.
The storm was expected to dump up to 10 inches of snow across the region, snarling Thanksgiving return travel on the roads as well.
Illinois State Police urged drivers to slow down, expect slick pavement and give extra space as conditions deteriorate.
The National Weather Service warned travel could become “very difficult to impossible,” with heavy snow and strong winds threatening scattered outages.
Crews in Chicago deployed more than 220 salt spreaders overnight to keep main roads, bridges and DuSable Lake Shore Drive passable.
The winter storm warning remains in effect through early Sunday.
