Upper Midwest Thanksgiving travelers thwarted bycanceled flights, highways closed by foot of snow

Travelers at the end of the Thanksgiving holiday on Sunday were finding hundreds of flights delayed and canceled in Chicago following a winter storm in the Great Lakes region, while a wintry mix of rain and snow developed in the Northeast.

In Wisconsin, utility crews worked to restore power to thousands of people, while the airport in Des Moines, Iowa, reopened on the critical travel day after a Delta Connection flight landing from Detroit slid off an icy runway. No injuries were reported, and passengers were transported to the terminal by bus.

Hundreds of churches in western Michigan told worshippers to stay home or watch services online. Up to 12 inches of snow had fallen since Saturday in areas close to Lake Michigan.

On Saturday, 8.4 inches of snow fell at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, setting a record for the highest single calendar day snowfall in November at the airport, according to the National Weather Service. That broke the previous record of 8 inches in 1951.

In Wisconsin, We Energies reported more than 6,000 power outages, with more than half in Milwaukee and South Milwaukee. 

In Iowa, gusty winds Sunday were blowing snow back onto roads, extending hazardous travel conditions after 15 inches fell in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Snow in the Great Lakes region was tapering off, but a new storm was heading to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with up to a foot of snow by Tuesday.


(AP Photo Nam Y. Huh)