A winter storm has caused disruption at New York’s major airports, forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights. Both international and domestic travel have been affected as the storm moves across the region. According to airline tracking service FlightAware, at least 400 flights have been cancelled, with many others facing long delays. LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport are among the worst impacted.
Snow expected to pile up quickly
Forecasters say heavy snowfall will begin Friday afternoon and continue into Saturday. New York City and Long Island are expected to see major accumulation during this period. Up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow could fall before the storm weakens, said Richard Bann, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center, late Thursday.
New York City has issued a travel advisory for the duration of the storm. Officials warned that cold temperatures will slow snowmelt, making roads slippery and dangerous. The city’s five boroughs, along with Westchester County, southern Connecticut, and northeastern New Jersey, may receive between 4 inches and 8 inches of snow as the storm moves through the area from Friday around 4pm until about 1pm the following day, according to the National Weather Service.
Evening commute could be affected
Forecasters cautioned that travel conditions could worsen during peak hours. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening commute,” the weather service said in the notice issued on Thursday. Parts of western Pennsylvania could face an ice storm, raising concerns about power outages and dangerous travel conditions, according to the National Weather Service.
The winter weather threat extends beyond New York. Philadelphia is also under a winter weather watch as the storm is expected to move offshore into the mid-Atlantic region by Saturday morning. As the system moves south, snow may turn into freezing rain. Meteorologists also warned of a stronger cold front approaching the Northeast later in the weekend, including the Washington area, which could bring strong winds toward the end of the year.