Air travel is not exactly optimal Tuesday as snow and freezing drizzle fall across a wide swath of the nation, including Wisconsin.  

And, as the day wears on, things have gotten messier.

Both major airports in Chicago — O’Hare and Midway — are now subject to an air traffic control procedure known as a ground stop. That means flights destined for either airport are being held on the ground at their departure airports. 

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Some flights destined for O’Hare were being delayed more than six hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control System Command Center.

Departures from O’Hare also are experiencing delays Tuesday, according to the FAA. As of 4 p.m., 300 flights originating from O’Hare had been canceled, according to flightaware.com

Freezing drizzle was falling in Chicago, with freezing rain mixed with snow expected later in the afternoon. 

 At Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, snow removal crews have been placed on 12-hour shifts around the clock to clear runways and taxiways once the snow arrives.

With the 12 hour shifts, “There is always somebody rested and ready to go,” said Pat Rowe, an airport spokeswoman.

Crews on Tuesday morning were doing maintenance on equipment to make sure everything is ready when snow arrives.

“They are expert at it,” Rowe said of the airport snow crews.

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Crews at Mitchell International Airport were firing up massive machines that plow and sweep runways in precise, practiced movements done between takeoffs and landings of commercial jet airliners.
Mike De Sisti

Elsewhere, delays are being reported in Boston and Newark, according to the FAA.

Crews can’t use de-icing salt on airport runways or taxiways because the salt is corrosive to aircraft parts.

There have been a few cancellations at Mitchell so far Tuesday, according to online arrival and departure information. 

More than 2,600 flights are facing delays across the nation’s air traffic system, according to flightaware.com. As of early afternoon nearly 1,000 flights had been canceled, according to flightaware. 

Airport officials are advising travelers to check with their airlines regarding the status of their flight. 

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Southwest Airlines, the market share leader at Mitchell, says in an advisory posted on its website that it expects weather to affect its operations in Milwaukee, Chicago-Midway, Denver, Des Moines, Kansas City, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Omaha on Tuesday. 

The entire state of Wisconsin is covered by winter weather warnings and advisories on Tuesday and into Wednesday. 

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