NEW YORK — Christmas Eve turned out to be windy, wet and warm instead of white across much of the country, creating headaches for travelers in the Great Lakes, the Northeast and a storm-battered swath of the South. While parts of the South cleaned up from severe storms that killed at least four people, a system that forecasters had feared could bring several inches of snow to the Midwest, including the air-travel hub of Chicago, mostly petered out or turned into rain.
Still, by Wednesday afternoon, more than 300 flights had been canceled in the U.S., according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was hardest hit, accounting for about 100 of the cancellations.
Parts of Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota reported snow accumulations from just a dusting to up to 4 inches. Holiday travelers in Ohio, Michigan and New York faced the prospect of windy weather. A high wind warning was issued from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning for much of northern Ohio.
Meteorologists warned that gusts of 65 mph in western New York could blow away holiday decorations. Heavy rain was predicted to accompany the wind across New England, where much of the region was put under a flood watch through Thursday night. In Michigan, utility companies braced for strong winds a year after a storm put thousands of people in the dark at Christmas.
