Passengers traveling home from their holiday weekend trips were grounded in Chicago, Illinois Sunday as a blizzard-like storm came for the Midwest and resulted in more than 800 flights being canceled.
Many idly waited as routes through the Illinois city and Kansas City were badly effected and the situation only got worse as by 6pm, approximately 1,200 flights leaving from the United States or heading to the country were put on hold.
Flight-tracking website, FlightAware showed the chaos caused to travelers as a winter storm blanketed much of the central Midwest with snow and resulted in a state of emergency being declared in Kansas.
Passengers sit as they wait for their flight at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Sunday
Traffic moves west along I-70 near Lawrence, Kansas, Sunday. I-70 is closed west of Junction City, Kansas
Most affected Midwest routes were via the worst hit areas of Chicago, Illinois or Kansas City
Governor Jeff Colyer issued the warning as a large stretch of Interstate 70, spanning much of the state, was closed between Junction City and WaKeeney.
While the west section shut down, the turnpike section remained open as snow was being plowed away near Lawrence on Sunday.
Between 4 to 6 inches of snow was expected in the Kansas City area.
In eastern Illinois snow was forecast to fall at a rate of about 2 inches per hour.
As much as 10 inches of snow call fall around O’Hare and Chicago’s Midway Airport – where some 120 flights were canceled – was predicted 6 inches of snow.
But far northwest there could be a whopping 12 inches as it was warned strong winds of up to 50 miles per hour could cause a blizzard.
More than 8000 flights are already canceled ahead of blizzard-like storm taking aim at Chicago
Going nowhere: Travelers walk in Terminal 3 in O’Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday
Travelers check in at the American Airlines self ticket counter at O’Hare International Airport
‘It’s going to be messy,’ said Todd Kluber, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service said.
Kluber predicted rain will give way to heavy snowfall and ‘near whiteout conditions’ that will make for dangerous travel.
The busy Thanksgiving weekend was one of the worst in the year for much of the central Plains and Great Lakes to experience a whiteout.
As well as parts of Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri braced for strong winds and snow creating blizzard conditions.
In eastern Nebraska, part of Interstate 80 between Lincoln and Omaha was closed Sunday morning because of multiple accidents after snow blanketed that area.
That included semitrailer trucks jackknifed across the highway. It was re-opened by Sunday afternoon.
A plow removes snow at an entrance of the Kansas Turnpike near Lawrence, Kansas, Sunday
A plow clears snow from Road 438 in Douglas County. The area is under a blizzard warning
Forecasters predict more than a foot of snow is likely in southeast Nebraska (pictured is Nebraska City)
Separately, a portion of Interstate 29 was shut down in Missouri, near the Iowa border.
Forecasters predict more than a foot of snow is likely in southeast Nebraska, northeast Kansas, northwest Missouri and southwest Iowa.
By Monday morning, the storm was expected to hit parts of northern Indiana and southern Michigan.
Flight cancelations and delays have been predicted until Monday as it spreads to Chicago