Cross-Country Winter Storm Disrupts Post-Thanksgiving Travel in the Midwest

Millions of Americans heading home after Thanksgiving are running into serious travel problems as a sprawling winter storm pushes across the country. Heavy snow and strong winds have already forced more than 1,400 U.S. flight cancellations, with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport seeing the most severe disruptions. Delays there have stretched up to five hours as the region battles steady snowfall and rapidly deteriorating conditions.

More than 50 million people across the northern United States are now under winter weather alerts, with snow, rain, and ice spreading over a thousand-mile stretch from the Rockies to the Midwest and toward the East. The system is also unlocking a blast of Arctic air that will plunge temperatures well below normal as November shifts into December.

Officials are urging drivers to stay off the roads where possible. In Iowa, state troopers have already responded to an increasing number of crashes and rescued nearly 200 stranded drivers from ditches. In Illinois, transportation leaders warn it could take days before crews fully recover from the storm’s impact.

The heaviest snowfall is expected in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan, where more than six inches are likely — with localized totals exceeding a foot. Chicago could see its snowiest two-day stretch since early 2021 if accumulations reach eight inches or more. Meanwhile, communities farther south face hazardous icy mixes, making travel difficult to predict and even more dangerous.

On the rainy side of the system, areas across eastern Texas and western Louisiana could experience flooding from downpours and thunderstorms. That rain will expand into the southeastern U.S. on Sunday, adding more slowdowns for drivers.

The storm continues to march east and is expected to clear the coastline early Monday. But its cold aftermath will linger, with frigid temperatures dropping into the teens and single digits across the central and northern U.S. Many areas could be 15 to 30 degrees below average to kick off meteorological winter, offering a chilly preview of what December may bring.

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