Christmas Eve travel forecast: Fog backs up Chicago flights, storm nears California

The ground stops at O'Hare and Midway airports were lifted around 9:30 a.m.

ByEmily Shapiro and Max Golembo
December 24, 2019, 11:30 AM

Flights were backed up for Christmas Eve travelers trying to land at Chicago's airports because of dense fog Tuesday morning.

The ground stops at O'Hare and Midway airports began at 5:36 a.m. and were lifted at 9:28 a.m. CT, according to the FAA.

The weather caused about 50 cancellations and about 290 delays at O'Hare, and about 70 cancellations and 20 delays at Midway, according to FlightAware.

But those finally landing in Chicago will be greeted with a special Christmas Gift -- this year is forecast to be the warmest Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Chicago in decades.

The temperature is expected to reach 52 degrees Tuesday and 54 degrees Wednesday.

The last time the Windy City had temperatures above 50 degrees on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was 1982.

Southeast flooding

In the Southeast, a storm brought over 1 foot of rain to South Florida and up to 6 inches to coastal South Carolina.

Flooding was reported from Charleston, South Carolina, to Miami.

Some of the worst flooding was from Fort Lauderdale to Hollywood, where Fort Lauderdale’s daily record rainfall of 7.13 inches was broken.

PHOTO: A street is inundated with flood water in Hallandale, Fla., Dec. 23, 2019.
A street is inundated with flood water in Hallandale, Fla., Dec. 23, 2019.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
PHOTO: HALLANDALE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 23: An aerial view from a drone shows a woman crossing a street inundated with flood water on December 23, 2019 in Hallandale, Florida.
HALLANDALE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 23: An aerial view from a drone shows a woman crossing a street inundated with flood water on December 23, 2019 in Hallandale, Florida. The area received up to 12 inches of rain during an overnight storm that hit the area causing flooding that even forced Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to shut down flight operations early Monday morning.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In downtown Charleston, a daily record rainfall of 3.62 inches was reported.

The storm is slowly beginning to pull away from the Southeast coast, but Tuesday morning's high tide could bring more flooding to downtown Charleston.

A rainy Christmas for California

One storm has already brought more than 3 inches of rain, mudslides and flooding to Southern California. That storm is now moving inland, bringing heavy rain to Arizona.

Now a second storm is forming in the Pacific Ocean and taking aim at California.

By Wednesday evening, the storm will arrive in coastal California with heavy rain continuing into Thursday.

Rainfall could reach up to 3 inches around Los Angeles and San Diego, with flash flooding and mudslides possible.

PHOTO: Rain and snow
Rain and snow
ABC News

In the mountains, snow could accumulate to several feet and travel will be treacherous.

ABC News' Mina Kaji contributed to this report.

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