Massive Winter Storm Causes Chaos in the US, Over 13,000 Flights Cancelled

A massive winter storm sweeping across the United States has brought air travel to a near standstill, forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights and creating widespread disruption from Texas to New England. The system has been described by experts as potentially one of the most severe winter storms in years, with heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain expected to impact a large part of the country.

According to flight tracking website FlightAware, more than 13,000 flights were cancelled between Saturday and Monday, and cancellations continued to rise as the storm advanced. The scale of disruption marks one of the worst periods for US air travel since last year’s government shutdown, Bloomberg reported. Aviation analytics firm Cirium also warned that some airlines could see disruption levels approaching those recorded during the Covid pandemic, when travel was heavily reduced.

By 9:30 am New York local time on Saturday, cancellations accounted for 90% of outbound flights from Memphis, 76% from Oklahoma City and 75% from Dallas-Fort Worth. Major disruption was also reported at airports in Austin, Charlotte and Nashville, while airports in Washington and New York were expected to face increasing impact as the storm moved eastward.

For the country overall, the system could rank among the most expansive winter storms since the 1993 “superstorm,” Rob Carolan, chief executive officer of Hometown Forecast Services, told Bloomberg.

Airlines Prepare For Impact

US airlines announced contingency measures earlier in the week, including waiving change fees and fare differences for passengers booked to travel over the weekend. American Airlines Group Inc. said it added nearly 1,800 extra seats on flights departing Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Friday, along with more than 1,400 seats on inbound flights scheduled for Sunday after the storm passes. The airline also introduced additional flights between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Saturday.

Airports Activate Winter Protocols

Airports also began implementing winter weather preparations. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said on Friday that it had activated winter storm protocols at the major airports it operates John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia ensuring snow removal equipment was fuelled and ready for use.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said in a post on X that its “weather and air traffic professionals are monitoring the winter storm around the clock to maintain the safety of the national airspace system.”

Severe Weather Expected Across Large Region

“This is a significant long-duration winter storm that threatens 180 million Americas with widespread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the southern Rocky Mountains to New England,” Allison Santorelli, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center, told Bloomberg.

“South of the snow area we are continuing to expect catastrophic ice accumulation,” Santorelli added, noting that up to 0.5 inch of ice may fall across parts of the US South and into Northern Virginia.

Travelers Urged To Stay Updated

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport said its crews are “prepared to treat runways and taxiways on the airfield, as well as bridges, overpasses and roadways across airport property,” according to a statement issued on Friday.

Travelers are advised to check fly.faa.gov for real-time airport updates, as the storm continues to cause cancellations and delays across the country.