Winter Storm Wesley Causes Thousands of Flight Delays, Cancellations

Image: Plane parked at the airport in winter snow. (photo via uatp2 / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Image: Plane parked at the airport in winter snow. (photo via uatp2 / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:27 AM ET, Wed April 10, 2019

Update: April 12, 2019 at 9:10 a.m. ET

Winter Storm Wesley continues to impact travel Friday in the upper Midwest with snow and gusty winds.

According to FlightAware.com, over 140 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled Friday morning and another 480-plus have been delayed. Denver International Airport and Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport are experiencing the most disruptions.

On Thursday, a total of 970 flights were canceled and 4,281 were delayed.


Update: April 11, 2019 at 2:40 p.m. ET

Winter Storm Wesley continued to impact travel Thursday throughout Colorado, Minnesota and South Dakota.

According to FlightAware.com, over 820 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled by Thursday afternoon and another 1,700-plus have been delayed.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport was dealing with the biggest impact from the storm, with over 400 flights canceled and another 230-plus delays. Denver International Airport was also coping with mass delays and cancellations Thursday.


Update: April 11, 2019 at 6:30 a.m. ET

As Winter Storm Wesley gained strength Wednesday night into Thursday morning, blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of six states.

The storm will continue to bring heavy snow and high winds the Plains and upper Midwest, which will contribute to power outages, dangerous travel conditions and shut down highways.

According to FlightAware.com, over 390 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled Thursday morning and another 250-plus have been delayed. On Wednesday, a total of 1,046 flights were canceled and 3,697 were delayed.

The airports most impacted by the storm system include Denver International Airport, Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.


As travelers begin thinking ahead to Spring weather and sunny destinations, Winter Storm Wesley will be bringing blizzard warnings to portions of the Plains and upper Midwest.

According to Weather.com, snow has already started falling in the northern and central Rockies, as well the northern Plains, with precipitation and high winds contributing to dangerous travel conditions.

Major travel hubs such as Denver and Minneapolis will be impacted by the storm through Thursday, causing flight delays and cancellations, as well as closing highways across the region. Large hail and damaging winds are also expected from Kansas to Nebraska and Iowa.

Wesley will begin weakening by Friday, when it is expected to dump snow on the upper Mississippi Valley and northern Great Lakes, and rain and thunderstorms into northern New England.

According to FlightAware.com, over 390 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled Wednesday and another 370-plus have been delayed. The majority of the cancellations come from Denver International Airport.

Major airlines serving the impacted regions have already started issuing travel advisories and waiving change fees through at least Thursday, including American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and United.

Travelers should call their airlines to ensure their flights are still on schedule before heading to the airport.


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Donald Wood

Donald Wood

Managing Editor

Donald Wood is TravelPulse’s Managing Editor, bringing nearly 15 years of experience to the desk. He currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

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