Winter storm forces hundreds of flight cancellations at MSP
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It was a tough day for those with plans to fly into or out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday.
Hundreds of flights were canceled by early Wednesday morning, and by 1 p.m., nearly 400 had been canceled with a few others delayed.
With conditions expected to get increasingly worse as the day progresses Wednesday into Thursday, especially with strong winds expected to create blizzard conditions, more cancellations are expected.
RELATED: Airlines start issuing travel waivers with winter storm looming
The Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP, said Wednesday’s high winds caused air traffic controllers to shift traffic to runways other than the two most-frequently used ones.
A display at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shows a canceled flights on Feb. 22, 2023. (KSTP-TV)
On roadways, conditions weren’t much better in some areas. No travel advisories were issued for parts of the state and more than 100 crashes were reported across the state from just 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
RELATED: Hundreds of flights canceled at MSP, no travel advisories issued for parts of Minnesota
The Twin Cities issued snow emergencies, as did many other cities, which have put parking restrictions into effect. Click here to see the full list.
And hundreds of schools closed or shifted to e-learning Wednesday with many likely to do the same on Thursday and/or Friday. See that latest list here.
The heaviest snowfall is still expected Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, with the Twin Cities expected to get 14-24 inches by the time it ends late Thursday. See the snowfall totals from Tuesday night and Wednesday morning here, and click here to see the latest weather forecast and radar.
Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on air, online and on social media for the latest updates throughout the winter storm.