The extreme winter weather that is freezing much of the central U.S. is wreaking havoc on air travel. 

By 1 p.m. on Thursday, airlines had canceled nearly 1,900 flights within, into and from the U.S., according to FlightAware. 

Travel problems are most acute in Chicago and Denver. 

In Chicago, where Winter Storm Elliott is expected to bring several inches of snow and sub-zero temperatures, 26% of flights into Chicago O’Hare had been canceled by 1 p.m. Eastern time. At Chicago Midway, 46% of inbound flight had been canceled.

In Denver, where temperatures plunged more than 60 degrees overnight, accompanied by snow, 27% of inbound flights had been canceled. 

Among airlines, Southwest was having the biggest challenges, having canceled 17% of its flights. 

In an email, Airlines for America vice president of communications Katherine Estep said that carriers have been preparing for the holiday travel season all year.

“Decisions to delay or cancel flights are never taken lightly, and it is in all carriers’ best interest to ensure passengers arrive at their destinations both safely and on schedule,” Estep said. “While we cannot control the weather, airlines continue to do everything in our power to minimize disruptions within our control — but, we will never compromise on safety.”

Carriers have issued waivers for flying to and from large swaths of their domestic networks. For example, Southwest issued a waiver impacting 50 cities in the West, South, Midwest and Northeast on Tuesday.

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