Getty ImagesThousands of flights across the U.S. have been canceled or delayed as the Northeast braces for a major winter storm during the peak holiday season.
As of Friday evening, 1,600 U.S. flights had been canceled and 7,400 delayed, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
The hardest hit airports were John F Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia, which serve the New York area. Boston, Chicago and Toronto (Canada) were also affected.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 4 pm local time (2100 GMT) Friday until 1 pm Saturday, with up to 9 inches (23 cm) of snow expected in New York and southern Connecticut.
JetBlue Airways canceled 229 flights and Delta Air Lines canceled 241 flights. Republic Airways and Southwest Airlines canceled 180 and 151 flights, respectively. About 100 scheduled flights on American Airlines and United Airlines were also cancelled.
On social media, airports warned travelers to check the status of their flights with their airline.
Bloomberg via Getty ImagesHeaviest snowfall expected from 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT) to midnight. Drivers were warned of dangerous conditions and advised to take an emergency kit with them.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said people should avoid unnecessary travel, but if they must travel, they should “plan ahead, take your time and leave enough time to get where you 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 covered by several inches of snow on December 14.
Mayor Eric Adams asked people heading to work Friday to leave early or consider taking public transportation home.
Snow plows were deployed and ready to begin clearing the streets as soon as two inches of snow accumulated.
Environmental Protection Agency
