Snowstorm causes thousands of flight cancellations across Midwest

A heavy snowstorm sweeping the Midwest has triggered widespread travel disruption, with thousands of domestic flights canceled and many more delayed. FlightAware recorded 4,683 cancellations and 11,752 delays on Monday, adding to 3,248 cancellations and 10,741 delays reported on Sunday.

The hardest-hit area is the upper Great Lakes and upper Midwest, where the National Weather Service warned of heavy snow, gusty winds, and "brief heavy snow bands that could cause local travel impacts." Chicago O'Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, LaGuardia, and Charlotte Douglas airports logged the most cancellations, and images showed massive crowds and long security lines at terminals such as O'Hare.

The disruption comes on top of strain from a partial government shutdown that has left federal aviation workers, including TSA officers and air-traffic controllers, working without pay.

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