Major winter storm dumps snow across Midwest and upends travel

Monday, December 1, 2025 -A powerful winter storm moved through the U.S. Midwest over the post-Thanksgiving weekend, dumping heavy snow—sometimes over a foot—and snarling travel across a large swath of the region. From South Dakota and the Corn Belt to the Great Lakes and Midwest, states such as Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, and Indiana saw widespread snow accumulation and dangerously slick conditions.

The storm’s timing couldn’t have been worse: coming just as many Americans were returning home from holiday travel. Major airports bore the brunt — especially the hub at Chicago’s O’Hare — where hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed, and thousands more disrupted. 

On the roads, travel turned hazardous: a 45-car pileup shut down part of Interstate 70 in Indiana, while highways across the Midwest saw dozens of crashes and spin-outs.

As the storm began to ease, forecasters warned of yet another system brewing for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, raising the specter of more snow, ice, and travel chaos in the coming days. 

Meanwhile, authorities urged travelers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary and encouraged flights and commuters to plan carefully as disruptions continued.