·  Airline disruptions

Those planning to travel by air to or from this destination should check with their airline or travel agent immediately to reconfirm travel arrangements. If your flight has been canceled, request the next available flight. Traffic on roadways leading to airports may be considerably slower than normal. Airports are likely to become very crowded, and lines will be long. Allow a good measure of extra time to get to the airport, check in and go through security.

·  Driving on ice/snow

Before driving in harsh winter conditions, make sure that your car is in good working order. Dress warmly and take along preventive supplies, such as a flashlight, windshield scraper, snow shovel and an abrasive material, such as sand, that you can use for traction if get you stuck. Most importantly, slow down, steer smoothly and leave a good measure of extra space between your vehicle and those around you. Shift to low gear when driving downhill. Watch for ice on bridges and overpasses. If your car goes into a skid, don’t brake, but ease off the accelerator and steer smoothly in the direction you want to go.

·  Railway disruptions

Those planning to travel by train or subway in this region should check with the railway immediately to reconfirm travel arrangements. If your train has been canceled, request a reservation on the next available train. Traffic on roadways near the train station may be considerably more congested than normal. Stations are likely to become very crowded, lines will be long and tempers among other passengers may be short. Allow a good measure of extra time to get to the station and check in.

Airlines  including American, Delta, Southwest and United canceled more than 1,400 flights from Chicago as a snowstorm that slammed the U.S. Midwest during the weekend moves toward Canada.

The storm, which dumped as much as 21.5 inches (55 centimeters) of snow in Minnesota, caused the roof of Minneapolis’s Metrodome to collapse. The National Football League game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants was moved to Ford Field in Detroit today. Wind and rain caused flight cancellations from Boston to Washington.

About 1,200 flights out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport and 250 out of Chicago’s Midway International Airport were canceled over the weekend, with more delays and cancellations expected, the Chicago Department of Aviation said yesterday. Heavy snow was reported in parts of northwest Indiana and southeast Michigan early today as the storm moves east.

“This winter storm is obviously causing havoc with air travel through the upper Midwest,” Mary Frances Fagan, a spokeswoman for AMR Corp., operator of American, said in a telephone interview from Chicago. “Hundreds of flights have to be canceled for safety reasons.”

As many as 2.3 million people a day may fly on U.S. airlines from Dec. 16 through Jan. 5 as demand rises 3.1 percent this holiday season compared with last year, the Air Transport Association forecast Dec. 8. Planes may be 90 percent full on average for the busiest days, the Washington-based industry group said in a statement.

At least 272 of Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR’s American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection flights were canceled out of Chicago, according to Fagan.