Winter weather disrupts air traffic in New Jersey and New York | New York
A mix of snow and ice in the U.S. northeast early Saturday disrupted airline traffic over the post-holiday weekend and prompted officials in New York and New Jersey to issue weather-related emergency declarations even as the storm eased by mid-morning.
More than 14,400 domestic U.S. flights were canceled or delayed as of mid-morning on Saturday, according to tracking site FlightAware; the majority of these occurred in the New York area, including John F Kennedy international airport, LaGuardia airport and Newark Liberty international airport.
Another 2,100 international flights scheduled to take off or land in the United States on Saturday were canceled, FlightAware reported.
A state of emergency was declared in New York and New Jersey, while people in much of the northeast were advised to stay off the roads due to dangerous conditions.
“The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority and I continue to urge extreme caution throughout this storm,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
By early Saturday, about 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) of snow had fallen in an area from Syracuse in central New York to Long Island in the southeast of the state and into Connecticut, said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center near Washington, D.C.
Stating that New York City received 2-4 inches of snow overnight, and 4.3 inches of snow fell in Central Park, Oravec said, “The good news is that the heaviest snow fell.” “Only a few storms remain this morning and they will taper off by the afternoon.”
Ice storm warnings and winter weather advisories have also been issued for much of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania have imposed commercial vehicle restrictions on some roads, including many interstate highways.
“This storm will cause hazardous road conditions and impact holiday travel,” New Jersey lieutenant governor Tahesha Way said in a statement. “We urge passengers to avoid traveling during the storm and allow crews to tend to the roads.”
