Winter Storm Xanto Impacting Midwest Travel

Despite the fact that it’s the middle of April, a major snowstorm is making its way toward the Midwest, the Plains and New England over the coming days.

According to Weather.com, Winter Storm Xanto is expected to bring blizzard conditions to areas of the northern Plains before carrying heavy snow and freezing rain through the upper Midwest and northern New England areas through the weekend.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for portions of South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota. Winter storm watches were also issued in the upper Midwest and northern Great Lakes, with warnings of drifting snow, gusty winds and downed tree limbs Friday night into Saturday.

Winter Storm Xanto is also impacting travel, with top Delta, Southwest, United and other carriers should check to ensure their flights are not impacted by the storm.

Some of the cities expected to face flight delays and cancellations include Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Sioux Falls, Grand Rapids, Omaha and more.

Travelers scheduled to fly to or from impacted destinations between April 13-15 are eligible to have their change fees waived and will be able to book a new flight through April 18.

For those traveling with Amtrak, the rail company announced the cancelation of Empire Builder services both eastbound and westbound on April 13 and westbound on April 14. No substitute transportation will be available and service will be restored after the storm passes and an assessment is made with the host railroads.