A powerful winter storm continues to take aim at the heart of the country, impacting one of the biggest travel days of the year

A major winter storm blasted parts of the Midwest and the Central U.S. this weekend with heavy snowfall, causing travel nightmares for millions of people as they return home from Thanksgiving plans.

About 8.4 inches of snow fell at O'Hare up to midnight on Sunday.

Hundreds of flights delayed and canceled in Chicago at end of holiday weekend following a snowstorm in the Great Lakes region, while a wintry mix of rain and snow developed in the Northeast.

More than 1,100 flights were canceled at Chicago airports as the storm disrupted travel for those headed home after Thanksgiving.

While thousands of air travelers were stranded or severely delayed by canceled flights as a wind-swept snowstorm blanketed the Midwest and Great Lakes region, Amtrak’s sold-out trains suffered only a few significant setbacks nationwide over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Black ice, snow showers and fog are pestering post-holiday travelers in the Midwest, while the Northeast is gearing up for its first major snowstorm of the season.

Such events distort the polar vortex, which causes Arctic air to descend into the U.S. and causes temperatures to plummet.

Winter hasn’t even officially started, yet the vibe is already approaching full late-February fatigue. A new storm is barreling out of the Plains toward the Northeast, threatening more travel disruptions after a post-Thanksgiving blast dropped record November snow in Chicago,