More Than 300 Midway, O'Hare Flights Affected By Passing Winter Storm

CHICAGO — More than 300 flights at Chicago’s two major airports have been affected by a winter storm that is passing through the Midwest on Wednesday that is expected to bring freezing rain to parts of the area throughout the day.

A total of 94 flights at O’Hare International Airport have been canceled as of Wednesday morning with another 154 experiencing delays, according to FlightAware.com. At Midway, 39 flights have been canceled while 42 are delayed as rainy conditions have moved into the area.

The National Weather Service reports that the northern portion of Illinois near the Wisconsin border has gone into an Ice Storm Warning while other counties remain in a Winter Weather Advisory.

The City of Chicago and areas south and west of the city could see periods of rain and possible thunderstorms throughout the day on Thursday.

An ice storm warning is in effect for McHenry County until 6 a.m. Thursday, according to the weather service. Significant icing is expected, with ice and sleet accumulations up to a half inch. Power outages and tree damage are likely.

Northern Cook, DuPage and Lake counties are under winter weather advisories until 6 a.m. Thursday as well. Those areas could see some freezing rain, with ice accumulations of one to two-tenths of an inch, according to the weather service.

Because of the possible icy conditions stretching into Thursday, more flights out of O’Hare and Midway could be affected.

Conditions are much more severe north of Illinois as parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin are slated to see historic snowfalls as the storm moves across the Midwest region, forecasters are predicting.

As much as 25 inches could pile up, with the heaviest amounts falling across east-central Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said. Wind gusts could reach 50 mph and wind chills are expected to hit minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota.

Nationally, more than 1,140 flights within, into, or out of the United States had been canceled, while 1,382 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.