1,000 Flights Canceled: Storm Cancels Flights at Chicago Airport

There have been nearly 1,000 flights canceled in Chicago due to a winter storm that is forecasted to bring forth 10 inches of snow to northern Illinois.

At O'Hare International Airport, which is a major worldwide hub, more than 850 flights were canceled according to the Chicago Department of Aviation and more than 215 flights were canceled at Midway International Airport.

The Chicago Tribune reported that between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Southwest Airlines has cancelled all of its flights. An inch or more of snow per hour is expected during the epicenter of the storm this afternoon or evening.

There has been a storm warning issued for the area starting at 9 p.m. to midnight. It is predicted that winds will get high and snow fall will reach an inch and a half per hour at certain times this afternoon.

"National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Krein said the city is expected to receive 6 to 8 inches from today's storm. Heavier pockets of snowfall - around 10 inches - could hit parts of the suburbs, he said," reported The Chicago Tribune.

He added that O'Hare only has received a hint of snow thus far just less than one-tenth of an inch from midnight to 6 a.m.

"The whole area's going to be hit pretty hard," said Richard Castro, a meteorologist with the weather service in Romeoville to The Chicago Tribune.

Another meteorologist Ben Deubelbeiss said to the Tribune that the weather will probably start to get bad around 10 p.m.

The city has also started removing median barriers on Lake Shore drive. . "When a storm of this magnitude is approaching, it is now standard protocol to remove the barriers before the storm hits, to make certain the access points are available before the snow starts to fall," Peter Scales, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation said to The Tribune.