Severe winter storms snarled peak holiday travel across the United States on Friday, forcing airlines to cancel more than 1,800 flights and delay tens of thousands more as hazardous weather spread from the Great Lakes to the Northeast.
As of 4:04 p.m. ET, 1,802 flights had been cancelled and 22,349 delayed nationwide, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Airports across the Northeast and Midwest warned travellers of disruptions, including New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, according to posts cited by Reuters.
JetBlue Airways cancelled the most flights, at 225, followed by Delta Air Lines with 186. Republic Airways cancelled 155 flights, while American Airlines cancelled 96 and United Airlines 82.
The National Weather Service issued warnings for Winter Storm Devin, saying it would bring dangerous travel conditions across the Great Lakes, northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Saturday morning.
“For areas farther north from upstate New York to the Tri-State area, including New York City and Long Island, 4 to 8 inches of snowfall is forecast late Friday into the night,” the Storm Prediction Center said.
Forecasters warned of heavy snowfall across southern Connecticut, northeast New Jersey, parts of Pennsylvania and southeast New York, with up to 9 inches possible. Winter storm warnings remain in effect from 4 p.m. Friday through 1 p.m. Saturday.
Ice and winter storm alerts were issued across much of the Northeast, threatening hazardous roads and widespread travel disruption.
The National Weather Service said winter storm warnings and advisories now span a broad swath of the country, including parts of California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Utah, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Massachusetts.
In California’s Mono County, forecasters said areas above 8,000 feet could receive 1 to 3 feet of snow, while lower elevations and stretches along U.S. Highway 395 could see 4 to 12 inches.
The storm is hitting as a record number of Americans travel for the holidays. About 109.5 million people were expected to drive at least 50 miles between December 20 and January 1, according to the American Automobile Association, while roughly 8 million were projected to fly.
The extreme weather coincides with the return of La Nia, a climate pattern linked to cooling Pacific waters and volatile winter conditions. “La Nia winters are notorious for their volatility, and we are certainly getting a healthy serving of that this holiday season,” Matt Rogers, president of the Commodity Weather Group, said.
New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency on Friday afternoon. “As widespread snowfall is expected to start in New York City and surrounding areas this evening, I will declare a State of Emergency,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania imposed commercial vehicle restrictions on several highways. “This storm will cause dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel,” New Jersey acting Governor Tahesha Way said, urging travellers to avoid non-essential journeys.
Source: Reuters