A powerful winter storm brought over a foot of snow and strong winds to the US Midwest and thunderstorms to the South over the Thanksgiving weekend, affecting an estimated 53 million people under winter weather alerts from South Dakota to New York.
On Saturday, a 45-car pile-up occurred on Interstate 78 in Indiana, and a Delta Air Lines plane skidded off the runway in Des Moines, Iowa, during landing. No serious injuries were reported from either incident. Indiana state police Sergeant Matt Ames advised, 'Folks, if you can stay home, stay home.'
Des Moines airport recorded 10.9 inches (28 cm) of snow through midnight on Sunday, the highest two-day snowfall since January 2024. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the plane incident. Several areas of Iowa reported over a foot of snow, while parts of Illinois, including Chicago, recorded 5 inches.
More than 4,600 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed on Sunday, with 576 cancelled, according to FlightAware.com. Over 25% of delays were to or from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, which recorded 8.4 inches of snow on Saturday, a new record for the snowiest November day in Chicago.
Illinois state police reported nearly 500 auto crashes in the Chicago area on Saturday, with 66 involving injuries. Parts of the US east coast are expected to experience cold rain, with possible travel impacts in cities including Cleveland, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Charlotte, and Atlanta.
