Nov. 26 (UPI) — Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled and more than a dozen states were under weather alerts Sunday as storms brought heavy snow and other hazardous weather to the Midwest.
A total of 1,101 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled and another 3,474 were delayed amid the poor weather Sunday afternoon, disrupting many looking to return home from Thanksgiving travel, according to air travel tracker Flight Aware.
The storm also affected road travel as parts of I-70 in Kansas and I-80 in Nebraska were closed due to whiteout conditions and snowy roads, according to AccuWeather.
A major winter storm was rapidly moving through the Midwest on Sunday, and was expected to bring rain and snow that will bring localized blizzard conditions at times along portions of I-35, I-39, I-70, I-88, I-90, I-94 and I-196 in the region.
Topeka, Kan.; Beatrice, Neb.; Davenport, Iowa; St. Joseph, Mo.; Milwaukee; Grand Rapids and Lansing, Mich.; and Rockford, Ill.; are all forecast to get at least a few inches of snow as a result of the storm.
Kansas City, Mo., was under a blizzard warning due to an expected 4 to 9 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 50 mph, ABC News reported.
Chicago was under a winter storm warning, with 3 to 6 inches of snow and gusty winds forecast.
A 20-car pileup was reported east bound on I-70 east of Frisco, Colo., and officials warned motorists of lengthy delays.
Nebraska State Patrol also advised motorists to avoid roads after ice and snow on motorways caused a number of vehicle spin-outs and crashes.
The storm is expected to move to the northeast after leaving lingering snow in Chicago and heavier snowfall in Michigan on Monday morning.
