Winter Storm: Thousands Of Flights Grounded In Chicago (UPDATED)

CHICAGO, IL — Despite less-than-expected snowfall in the morning, thousands of flights were cancelled at Chicago's two major airports by Friday afternoon as severe winter weather continued to move through the area. O'Hare International Airport was hit particularly hard, with avearge flight delays at the airport nearly tripling in time between the morning and afternoon, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

As of 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, 1,003 flights had been cancelled at O'Hare, the agency that runs the city's airports reported. The average delay for flights was about 58 minutes, with delays for arrivals running an average of 76 minutes and delays for departures averaging 38 minutes. Earlier in the morning, the overall average delay for all flights was about 26 minutes, with delays for arrivals averaging around 47 minutes.

Chances were better of flights leaving on time — or at all — at Midway Airport, however. Only two additional flights had been cancelled between 12:30 and 4 p.m. Friday for a total 317 so far, the aviation department reported. Flight delays at the airport have stayed the same the sam throughout Friday, averaging around 15 minutes

RELATED: Airlines Drop Fees To Change Flights Ahead Of Snowstorm

According to the National Weather Service, a region of heavy snow will taper off into the evening. Snow could fall at rates of an inch an hour until 5 p.m., the NWS forecasts.

Patch will continue to update this story.

Photo by Nam Y. Huh | Associated Press