Nearly 800 O'Hare, Midway Flights Canceled Ahead Of Winter Storm

CHICAGO — The arctic blast and significant winter storm haven’t even hit the greater Chicago area yet, but the coming inclement conditions have already taken a toll on holiday travelers hoping to escape town by air.

Nearly 800 flights have already been canceled at O’Hare International and Midway airports as of Thursday morning, according to FlightAware.com. The flight tracking system indicates that 251 flights out of Midway scheduled to go out on Thursday have already been canceled, while another 538 flights scheduled to leave O’Hare on Thursday have already been canceled.

An additional 448 O'Hare flights have been delayed so far on Thursday, according to FlightAware.com while 54 flights have been delayed at Midway, the site says. To check the status of various affected flights, click here.

Chicago Aviation officials said this week that they expect 2.9 million passengers to pass through Chicago’s airports between Wednesday and Jan. 2 as people try to get to any number of holiday destinations to see family and friends.

While snow totals have greatly diminished over the week, forecasters believe that dropping temperatures and high winds could wreak havoc on travel plans between Thursday and Saturday morning. Winds are expected to gust up to 55 mph and temperatures are expected to plummet on Thursday as the weather storm settles in.

The Illinois State Police has warned motorists to possibly avoid the roads during what is expected to be the worst portion of the winter storm between Thursday afternoon and Friday evening. Airlines have been also busy offering travelers offers of vouchers to adjust their travel plans due to the incoming weather and possible bomb cyclone conditions, which are expected to have an effect on local residents as they begin to make their way out of town for holiday get-togethers.

City Aviation officials said that airports will be fully staffed to accommodate travelers despite the weather. The winter storm is expected to finally move out of the region by Saturday morning but cold temperatures are expected to stick around until the middle of next week.

"We have 500 staff members who are ready to work 24/7, and 350 pieces of snow removing equipment," 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."