Federal authorities say a ground stop is in effect at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Thursday morning as a Winter Storm Warning continues for the region.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the ground stop – which was issued shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday – is expected to last until roughly 10:15 a.m.

Authorities add the probability of an extension of the stop is between 30-60%.

Earlier in the morning, the FAA had issued a ground delay, with the average delay lasting about an hour.

This came as a very busy day at the airport ahead of the holidays. The FAA says in addition to Thursday, the busiest days at MSP will be Friday, Dec. 20 and Friday, Dec. 27.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke with passengers at MSP on Thursday morning, who say it has been slow going, even for those who didn’t deal with flight delays or cancellations, as they dealt with snow covered roads on the way to the airport.

As of 10:45 a.m., the FAA reported some travelers at MSP had seen delays of more than two hours long, with the average delay sitting at about an hour. The delays are worse for those flying out of MSP rather than those coming in.

So far, there have been more than 70 delays coming in and out of MSP, with five cancellations. This comes despite crews having been out since about 5 a.m. to keep runways clear, and deicing starting about half an hour later.

“So far, it says we’re delayed four minutes, but they still call it on time so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’m thinking there’s probably going to be a delay at some point, but maybe we’ll get out since we’re early. I think if we had a 3 p.m. flight I’d be more concerned,” said Susie Duncan, who is traveling to Arizona.

Duncan, as well as one other woman, tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they’re excited to be temporarily escaping the winter weather for a weekend to warmer weather.

Meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas says as of 9 a.m., anywhere between 3-4″ of snow had fallen in the Twin Cities, with Richfield reporting 5″. Another 1-3″ of snow is expected through 9 p.m., but it is expected to be lighter and slower to accumulate after 1 p.m.

While the Twin Cities area is expected to see anywhere between 4-6″ of snow, some areas could see slightly higher totals.

RELATED: FORECAST FIRST ALERT in effect Thursday for 4-6: of snow in the Twin Cities through 11 p.m.

A map showing current traffic conditions can be found below.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will be at the airport for its midday newscast and will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.