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A violent winter storm on the middle section of the country could prevent millions of Americans from returning home on Sunday on one of the busiest days of the year.
The National Weather Service said the winter storm is expected to result in near-blizzard conditions in the central plains and Great Lakes, which will affect the Kansas City and Chicago metropolitan areas harder.
"This is going to have a negative impact on the homecoming after this long weekend," Fox News chief meteorologist Rick Reichmuth said on Fox & Friends on Sunday.
Abundant snow should fall all day on sunday, with many areas between 6 and 12 inches from eastern Kansas, Iowa, northern Missouri and Illinois. According to the NWS, some places can see up to 18 inches and high winds.
"We will see spots on a foot of snow, many places from 6 to 12 inches, which means a lot of problems on the roads," said Reichmuth.
In Illinois, state officials have warned drivers that conditions are expected to deteriorate throughout the day, with heavy snow, high winds and much longer travel times .
"This storm is expected to come at a time when millions of people are on the road and returning home after visiting friends and family," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. . said in a statement. "Please, take all necessary precautions, including changing your travel plans to leave earlier or asking yourself if your trip can wait."
At Chicago's O 'Hare International Airport, the sixth busiest in the world, at least 197 flights were canceled Sunday morning, according to the FlightAware Flight Tracking website.
MAJOR SNOW STORM CENTER OF THE UNITED STATES THREATS TO THANK A HOLIDAY WEEKEND TRIP
Several airlines operating from the Kansas City International Airport have canceled flight booking fees due to the storm, reported FOX4.
Many locals have decided to hit the road on Saturday to beat the imminent storm and fill the gas stations.
"I'm a student at Mizzou and I'm trying to fend off the storm," FOX4, a graduate student, told Sydney Eastman. "When I saw the weather, I thought I'd better get out of here now."
The Kansas authorities said that Interstate 70 was closed at several locations Sunday morning due to slush and that several accidents were reported.
Public Information Officer for the Kansas Road Patrol, Tod Hileman, posted a weather video on Twitter, which said, "We have 100% snow and ice roads with drift. The winds are around 45 to 50 sometimes. There are a lot of slides. We have half-jacks in Gove, Ellis and Russell counties! "
For those who decide to wait for the storm to pass, conditions are expected to improve by Monday throughout the region, with partly sunny skies and temperatures going back to the 1930s, according to the report. NWS.
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