Winter storm wreaks havoc on holiday travel, over 180 flights canceled

CHICAGO, Illinois -- As of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, 189 flights were canceled at O'Hare airport and 16 flights were canceled at Midway in Chicago.

Airlines are advising travelers to check on their flights before heading to the airport. Many airlines are also waiving fees for flight changes.

Both Chicago airports will be swamped with holiday travelers trying to get home.

About 260,000 passengers will make their way thru O'Hare, and 90,000 traveled thru Midway.

AAA predicted over 54 million Americans traveled this year for Thanksgiving, which is an increase from last year.

In Illinois, 2.5 million people are driving and hundreds of thousands are flying.

The biggest concern passengers need to worry about is this impending storm.

It will start as rain then change to snow, some areas may see eight inches of snow or more. The storms will pass in the overnight hours which could mean a lot of delays and cancellations.

The heaviest snow is expected to come with snowfall between 10 and 12 inches. Between four and six inches of snow are likely downtown.

A lakeshore flood warning has also been issued due to elevated water levels and high winds.