A sprawling winter storm over the Northern and Central Plains was pushing eastward into the Midwest and Great Lakes region on Saturday, disrupting the travel plans of people heading home after Thanksgiving.
Heavy snow, gusty winds and low temperatures were forecast to continue into Sunday, with the most extreme weather expected in an area stretching from Des Moines, Iowa, to Milwaukee, Chicago and Lansing, Mich.
“We’re looking at six to 12 inches of snow and some areas getting over a foot of snow when it’s all said and done,” said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center.
More than 2,000 flights were canceled at airports across the country by Saturday afternoon, with a lot of the travel mess unfolding in the Midwest, according to FlightAware, a tracking website.
The Chicago airports, O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, were hit the hardest, with more than 1,100 flights canceled as of Saturday afternoon.
The snow began at 3 a.m. and was falling more intensely in the afternoon with heavy snow expected until 8 p.m. Saturday. Chicago may end up with accumulations of six to 10 inches by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
At O’Hare on Saturday morning, Brenda Deter, a 50-year-old massage therapist from Fort Wayne, Ind., had flown in from Burlington, Vt., to find the last leg of her journey was canceled. Ms. Deter, who was in Vermont for the Thanksgiving holiday with family, said cancellations at O’Hare on Saturday prompted her to rent a car to make it home.
“Everything got canceled going to Fort Wayne, so I’m working on getting a refund and renting a car,” she said. “We’ll have to drive three hours in the snow now.”
Randy Sutton, a 64-year-old lawyer from Vancouver, was flying through O’Hare on his way home from Tampa, Fla., where he spent Thanksgiving week with family.
He said his flight into O’Hare on Saturday morning circled for an hour before landing. He was waiting for his connection to Vancouver.
“It’s on time so far, but since I’ve been here they have changed the gate three times,” he said.
Mr. Sutton said he chose to fly through Chicago because on previous trips from Florida he experienced delays getting home when he flew through Denver.
“The irony is that the last three times I went through Denver, I was delayed because of weather,” he said. “I chose O’Hare this time and may be delayed again. The weather gods seem to be against me.”
John Sarrimanolis, 26, and Kiersten Oderman, 24, students at the University of Illinois at Chicago, returned to Chicago on Saturday after spending time in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Mr. Sarrimanolis’s family for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The couple said although they arrived on time, the landing at O’Hare made them nervous.
“I was looking out of the window the entire time and could not see the runway,” Mr. Sarrimanolis said. “Once we hit, the snow kicked up and we were in a complete snow tunnel.”
The couple said that conditions in Chicago were similar to those they left in Fairbanks the day before.
“I had a heart attack in Seattle because they initially said we would be delayed and I have to give my class finals on Monday,” said Ms. Oderman, who is studying for her doctorate in biology.
Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office serving Chicago, said that while it’s not unusual for the city to get hit with a big snowstorm in late November, it had not seen a significant one at this time of year in about four or five years.
Residents were advised to stay home because of snow-covered roads and low visibility. A winter storm warning was in effect for the greater Chicago area through Sunday morning.
“If you have to be out, allow for extra travel time and don’t crowd the plows,” the Weather Service said.
The snow across the Midwest is expected to taper off from west to east, with the storm exiting Chicago by daybreak on Sunday.
“As the storm system pulls away, we’re going to have temperatures in the wake of this that are quite cold,” Mr. Orrison, the meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, said.
Afternoon highs in Chicago are expected to be in the low 30s on Saturday and Sunday, before dropping into the mid-20s early in the week.
Amy Graff reported from San Francisco and Robert Chiarito reported from Chicago.
Amy Graff is a Times reporter covering weather, wildfires and earthquakes.
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