A powerful snowstorm caused major trouble at airports across New York City and a large part of the Northeast on Sunday. The storm dumped heavy snow across the region, leading to long flight delays and ground stops that affected travellers not just locally but across the country.
In the New York City area alone, airports struggled as snow piled up through the morning and afternoon. Passengers were left waiting with little certainty about when they would be able to leave.
LaGuardia and JFK see severe delays
LaGuardia Airport was the most impacted. By around noon on Sunday, the airport was under a full ground stop. This meant planes heading to LaGuardia were forced to stay at their departure airports until conditions improved. As a result, delays stretched close to six hours.
JFK International Airport also faced serious disruption. It was placed under a ground stop earlier Sunday morning and later shifted to a ground delay program. Even then, travellers experienced delays of more than three hours, with some flights held even longer.
At JFK alone, more than 1,000 flights were delayed, with average arrival holds lasting over three hours. Some delays were reported close to five hours. In Philadelphia, more than 700 flights were affected, and by Sunday afternoon, over half of the airport’s flights were running late. In total, more than 1,700 flights across JFK, Newark, and Philadelphia were delayed as snow, ice, and crowded airspace overwhelmed the system.
When a ground stop is placed in effect, flights cannot take off toward that airport at all. This causes several delays, affecting airports and passengers across the entire country.
Parts of New York City recorded between one and four inches of snow, the city’s first major snowfall of the season. By 9 am Sunday, weather reports showed 1.1 inches in the city, while LaGuardia Airport had already seen 2.6 inches.
Parts of Long Island and New Jersey were buried under eight inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. Pennsylvania recorded snowfall of six to eight inches, some areas received between eight and twelve inches. Satellite images showed a thick band of snow across the Northeast, explaining why airports from Boston down to Washington, DC were forced to slow down operations.
Newark and nearby airports struggle, too
Newark Liberty International Airport was also impacted by the storm. During the worst of the weather, Newark operated under a ground stop. This led to delays of more than four hours. Later, it moved to a ground delay program, where arriving flights were held back with scheduled arrival times to manage congestion. Average arrival delays reached about 170 minutes, and at their peak, some went close to 267 minutes.
Teterboro Airport in New Jersey was placed under a ground stop by Sunday afternoon as well. Philadelphia International Airport fared slightly better than New York’s airports, but still saw delays of just over an hour earlier in the day. As conditions slowly improved, Philadelphia turned from a ground stop to a ground delay program, though disruptions continued.
The winter storm is expected to clear by Sunday afternoon, but the cold will stick around. Temperatures are forecast to stay below freezing even after the snowfall ends. A slow warm-up is expected as the week goes on. By Thursday, temperatures are predicted to rise into the 50s, bringing some relief after a bitter and snowy start to the week.