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Hundreds of flights canceled in Charlotte, nationwide as Midwest braces for snowstorm

By Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com
By Gina Esposito, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A winter storm blanketed much of the central Midwest with snow on Sunday at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, bringing blizzard-like conditions that grounded hundreds of flights and forced the closure of major highways on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

[FORECAST: Cold front, downpours move in overnight]

The blizzards are causing hundreds of canceled flights across the country, including Charlotte.

The lines are backing up at Charlotte Douglas airport, where dozens of flights have been canceled.

Officials said 30 flights to and from Charlotte were canceled yesterday and 141 flights were delayed.

More than 28,000 people are expected to fly through Charlotte Douglas Airport Monday, on top of the 100,000 that connect at the airport daily.

For most of the day, there have been long lines, ticket counters have been packed and several flights were delayed or canceled.

The Charlotte Douglas airport's website lists it as the sixth-busiest airport in the world, and it operates as American Airlines’ second-largest hub.

As of 10 p.m. Sunday, American Airlines and their regional partners have canceled nearly 400 flights nationwide.

American Airlines officials say that an additional 85 flights nationwide scheduled for Monday morning have been canceled.

Passenger Tom Fredricksen, who is from Daytona Beach, Florida, said he is trying to get to Omaha through Chicago, but he's been forced to stay the night in Charlotte.

"Crazy, backed-up lines, people insane, people fighting to get in line and everybody miserable,” Fredricksen said. And the flight attendants and the ticket agents - bless their hearts - they're trying but they're miserable too."

With much of the central Plains and Great Lakes region under blizzard or winter storm warnings, around 1,200 flights headed to or from the U.S. had been canceled as of 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

[Track your flight]

Most were supposed to be routed through Chicago or Kansas City - areas forecast to be hit hard by the storm.

"It's going to be messy," said Todd Kluber, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service who is based in suburban Chicago.

Strong winds and snow created blizzard conditions across much of Nebraska and parts of Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. The National Weather Service was warning those conditions would make travel difficult in places.

By mid-day, the blizzard warning was extended to parts of the eastern Illinois near Chicago, where snow is forecast to fall at a rate of about 2 inches per hour.

Other parts of central plains and Great Lakes region were under a winter storm warning, that could see a foot or more of snow dumped in some places by the end of the day.

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.

In Kansas, Gov. Jeff Colyer issued a state of emergency declaration. The action came as a large stretch of Interstate 70, spanning much of the state, was closed between Junction City and WaKeeney.

Separately, a portion of Interstate 29 was shut down in Missouri, near the Iowa border.

As much as a foot was expected in Chicago. Between 4 to 6 inches of snow was expected in the Kansas City area. 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.

Kluber said the storm was expected to hit the Chicago region sometime Sunday evening. He said rain will give way to heavy snowfall and "near whiteout conditions" that will make for dangerous travel.

To get ready for winter weather, North Carolina Emergency Management officials urge you to:

  • Store an emergency kit in your vehicle. Include scraper, jumper cables, tow chain, sand/salt, blankets, flashlight, first aid kit and road map
  • Always keep at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food in your home
  • Keep fresh batteries on hand for weather radios and flashlights
  • Properly vent kerosene heaters and keep electric generators outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Do not burn charcoal indoors
  • Use a NOAA Weather Radio or monitor local news media for changing weather conditions
  • Keep alternative heating sources and fire extinguishers on hand. Be sure your family knows how to use them
  • Download the ReadyNC app for more winter weather preparedness information

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