REPORTS: Winter storm brings slick travel, delays to Northeast

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A winter storm wreaked havoc on travel across the Northeast early Saturday through Saturday evening.A messy mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain impacted several states in the Northeast, bringing the first accumulating snow and sleet to some areas.

Motorists will continue to face travel hazards through Saturday night due to lingering snow in the far Northeast and some lingering freezing drizzle. Road conditions will range from snow and ice covered to slushy or wet.

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At this time (6:45 a.m. EST) the band of snow previously impacting Milwaukee and Chicago has shifted eastward out of those cities. It is now sitting just offshore south of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Light snow is falling from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Valparaiso, Indiana.

Snow is expected to continue in southwestern Michigan through the morning. Watch it on radar here.

Sleet and freezing rain is causing travel delays on the ground and in the air in Montreal, Canada, where moderate delays are occurring at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

At O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, 168 flights have been canceled as of 5:00 a.m. CST, according to their website. Around 1:10 a.m. CST, a plane slid off the runway, but luckily no injuries were reported.

Elsewhere in the Northeast, heavy rain is causing localized delays.

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A band of lake-effect snow moving off Lake Michigan is snarling traffic from Milwaukee to Chicago as of 4:00 a.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 18. Watch it on radar here.

Where traffic is most impaired in northwestern Indiana, a pocket of particularly heavy snow is bringing heavy snow and gusty winds, resulting in drastically decreased visibility.

Parts of interstates 65 and 94 are temporarily closed in this region due to icy conditions, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.

This snow band is expected to shift only minimally over the coming hours, edging towards southwestern coastal Michigan and out of Milwaukee and Chicago by sunrise.

In the Northeast, an area of heavy rain currently pushing towards the coast will reach the Interstate-95 corridor by 7:00 a.m.

It is currently causing moderate airport delays at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York, and at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada.

Temperatures will drop quickly behind this system, causing wet roads and sidewalks to become slick.

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As of 12:30 a.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 18, another area of rain is pushing into the Northeast after a late-evening lull in the precipitation. Moderate-to-heavy rain is currently being reported in Rochester and Buffalo, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Akron, Ohio. Thunderstorms are occurring across the state of Kentucky.

Temperatures in these areas are widely in the 40s and 50s, even during this late-night hour. Behind the system, temperatures drop off quickly into the 20s and 30s.

Indianapolis is sitting at 23 degrees Fahrenheit and is reporting freezing rain, while it is 20 degrees and snowing in Chicago and throughout Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

This wintry weather is resulting in slowed and dangerous travel conditions across the area.

Moderate delays are occurring at O'Hare and Midway International Airports in Chicago.

Earlier today, this system dropped 7.0 inches of snow across an extensive portion of Iowa and parts of Nebraska.

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As of 1:45 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17, the heaviest snow has now shifted into New Hampshire and Maine. Some of the highest amounts were in central Connecticut. In Weatogue, Connecticut, 7.3 inches was reported along with 8.3 inches in Winsted, Connecticut.

New York City had 6 inches in Hyde Park.

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Washington Dulles International Airport is open and operating normally as of 12:40 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17.

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As of 12:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17, the snow threat may be subsiding, but the travel hazards are not. The roadways are coated with a wintry mix of slick ice and snow.

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As of 12:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17, traveling conditions across Massachusetts remain hazardous and slow.

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As of 11:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17, the heaviest snow will be focused across New England heading into the afternoon.

However, there can be lingering freezing rain and drizzle farther southwest across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Both will result in hazardous travel during this time.

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As of 10:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17, moderate-to-heavy snowfall is being reported across southern New England. Roads are congested with car accidents and slippery conditions.

Low visibility due to falling snow is therefore more likely the culprit as local weather stations are reporting visibility as low as 2 miles throughout the area.

Snowfall and a wintry mix coming to an end in the next couple of hours in New York and Philadelphia, however there will still be a hazardous commute.

Visibility across Massachusetts and Connecticut are below a half mile where the snow is falling heavily.

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As of 9:45 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17, one runway at Washington Dulles Airport has been reopened after airfield crews treated the runway and melted the ice.

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As of 8:30 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 17, travel delays and cancellations are stalling travelers at airports across the northeast.

Boston Logan International Airport has a status of high delays with an excessive amount of delays.

All runways at Washington Dulles Airport have been closed due to icy conditions. The accumulation of freezing rain has closed all the runways and has made major surrounding roadways treacherous for traffic.

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