Hundreds of flights have been canceled out of Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway Airports as of Monday morning and thousands more were canceled across the U.S. as several states grapple with blizzard conditions.
The cancellations come as the Northeast is being hit with a powerful storm that has dumped heavy snow and brought strong winds to the region, leaving air traffic at a standstill.
Thousands of flight disruptions piled up Monday morning. As of around 8:30 a.m. CT, nearly 5,500 flights in or out of the U.S. were canceled, according to online tracker FlightAware. Hundreds of others were delayed.
New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport had the highest numbers of cancellations Monday — followed by airports in Boston, Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
In Chicago, 230 flight cancellations were reported, and another 36 were canceled out of Midway Airport, according to the city’s website.
The National Weather Service called travel conditions “extremely treacherous” and “nearly impossible” in areas hit hardest by the storm.
Beyond air traffic, millions of people are stuck at home under road travel bans amid blizzard warnings. On Sunday night, cellphones across New York City received wailing push alerts announcing a ban on non-emergency travel on all streets through noon Monday, due to “dangerous blizzard conditions.” Rhode Island and New Jersey implemented similar restrictions.
While nothing like the blizzard conditions being seen in the Northeast, the Chicago area is also expected to see multiple chances for snow this week. Some locations were under winter weather advisories Monday.
In addition to the hazardous weather in the Northeast, flights from Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara coming into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were also delayed due to widespread violence following the Mexican army’s killing of “El Mencho,” the boss of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Several flights between Chicago and multiple major cities in Mexico – including popular tourist destinations – were canceled Sunday as turbulent scenes erupted.
