Thousands of US flights disrupted as winter storm looms

Thousands of flights across the US have been canceled or delayed as the North East braces for a severe winter storm during peak holiday travel.

As of Friday afternoon, nearly 1,500 flights were canceled and 5,400 delayed across the U.S., according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

The hardest-hit airports are John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia, which serve the New York area. Philadelphia, Detroit and Toronto, Canada were also affected.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 4pm local time on Friday until 1pm local time on Saturday; Up to 9 inches (23 cm) of snow is expected in New York and southern Connecticut.

So far, JetBlue Airways has canceled 227 flights, while Delta Air Lines has canceled 213 flights. Republic and Southwest canceled 157 and 146 flights, respectively. About 100 flights from American and United are also not flying today.

On social media, airports are warning passengers to check with their airlines to find out the status of their flights.

The heaviest snow will fall between 18:00 and midnight. Drivers are warned of dangerous situations and advised to bring an emergency supplies kit.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said people should avoid unnecessary trips, but if they must travel, they should “plan ahead, take it slow, and leave plenty of time to get where they need to go safely.”

Similar warnings came from the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut.

This will be the second significant snowfall of the season for New York City, which was blanketed with several inches of precipitation on December 14.

Mayor Eric Adams asked people heading to work Friday to leave early or consider using public transportation home.

Snow plows have been deployed and will begin clearing the streets once five inches have accumulated.