US: Snowstorm Strikes Midwest Regions and Hundreds of Canceled Flights

CHICAGO: A winter storm hits much of the Midwest Monday morning, causing blizzard-like conditions that have blocked hundreds of flights and closed major highways at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Chicago Aviation Department announced Monday morning that the average departure delays at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport were 77 minutes, and the flight tracking website , FlightAware, announced that more than 350 flights to or from the United States had been canceled.

Heavy snowfall is expected to continue Monday in the early morning hours of Monday in Chicago, with wind gusts of up to 80 km / h (50 mph) likely to cause a whiteout, according to the same source The National Meteorological Service.

Parts of southeastern Wisconsin, just north of Chicago, were hit by the storm, with about 23 centimeters of blowing and drifting snow.

Forecasters predict that there will likely remain more than one foot of snow in southeastern Nebraska, northeastern Kansas, northwestern Missouri and southwestern Ontario. # 39; Iowa. Branches and power lines that have fallen to the ground will continue to cause power outages.

In Kansas, much of Interstate 70, covering much of the state, was shut down between Junction City and WaKeeney on Sunday and Governor Jeff Colyer said the state of # 39; emergency.

Separately, part of Interstate 29 was closed due to heavy snow in Missouri near the border with Iowa.

Winter storm warnings and winter weather warnings are in effect from central Missouri to east Michigan.