A winter storm sweeping across major US regions has disrupted peak holiday travel, forcing airlines to cancel and delay thousands of flights as hazardous conditions spread from the Great Lakes to the Northeast.
As of 12 p.m. ET, data from FlightAware showed 1,097 flights cancelled and 3,608 delayed nationwide.
Winter Storm Warnings Stretch Across the Northeast
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings Friday afternoon, cautioning that dangerous travel conditions would persist through Saturday morning.
Warnings extended from New York City into northeast New Jersey, the Lower Hudson Valley, parts of Long Island, and Connecticut. Forecasters said some locations could receive up to 10 inches of snow in the heaviest bands.
Airlines Cancel Hundreds of Flights
Several major carriers cut schedules as weather deteriorated:
- JetBlue Airways: 225 cancellations
- Delta Air Lines: 177 cancellations
- Republic Airways: 153 cancellations
Roughly half of all disruptions were tied to flights arriving at or departing from New York City’s three major airports—LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark. Airports in Detroit and Boston also reported widespread delays and cancellations.
Several airports used X to alert travelers to ongoing disruptions and urged passengers to check flight status before heading to terminals.
New York Issues Travel Advisory
New York City issued a travel advisory for the duration of the storm, warning that cold temperatures would limit snowmelt and increase the risk of slick and hazardous roads, according to Bloomberg.
“Road conditions will be treacherous for those travelling back from the holiday,” the weather service warned.
Broader Impacts Across the US
Beyond the Northeast, a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow is expected to create hazardous travel conditions from the Great Lakes into New England and the mid-Atlantic through Saturday morning.
The upper Midwest could see expanding snow and ice as cold air pushes south from Canada. Forecasters also flagged western Pennsylvania for potential ice storm conditions, raising concerns about power outages and dangerous travel.
While winter weather often strains power grids, officials said systems were not showing immediate stress. However, colder temperatures lifted US natural gas prices, with futures rising as much as 3.3% on Friday due to increased heating demand.
