A powerful winter storm sweeping across large parts of the United States on Monday, January 26, disrupted air and road travel, forcing thousands of flight cancellations and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity, according to FlightAware and PowerOutage.us. The National Weather Service warned that heavy snow, freezing rain and low visibility would continue to affect parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as the system moved offshore.
A major winter storm moving across the United States led airlines to cancel about 3,800 flights and delay more than 1,000 early Monday, according to FlightAware, after more than 11,000 U.S. flights were canceled Sunday. Reuters reported that disruptions were expected to increase as the day continued.
The National Weather Service said a low-pressure system south of New England was forecast to move east over the Atlantic on Monday, bringing heavy snow to parts of the Northeast and freezing rain to sections of the Mid-Atlantic. The agency also forecast snow along the Appalachian region, with rain spreading along parts of the Southeast coast as a cold front moved offshore.
American Airlines had the largest share of disruptions Monday, with more than 600 flights canceled and about 135 delayed, followed by Republic Airways, JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines, according to Reuters. In premarket trading, shares of American, Delta and United Airlines each fell nearly 1%, Reuters reported, as travelers sought updates on shifting schedules on social media.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in an advisory that weather-related constraints—including snow, freezing rain and low visibility—were affecting major hubs such as Boston and New York-area airspace. The agency said ground stops and delay programs could be imposed through the afternoon at airports including LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International, Philadelphia International, Newark Liberty International and Washington Dulles International if conditions worsened.
Major U.S. carriers issued travel waivers and flexible rebooking options. Reuters noted that because airline networks are tightly interconnected, widespread cancellations can leave aircraft and crews out of position, complicating recovery.
International operations were also affected. Dutch carrier KLM said some U.S.-bound flights were disrupted over the weekend but expected all services to the country to operate normally on Monday, Reuters reported.
Hazardous conditions extended beyond airports. The Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that driving could become dangerous as blizzard-like conditions, strong winds and ice spread further. More than 820,000 customers were without electricity early Monday, according to PowerOutage.us, with Tennessee reporting the largest number of outages, Reuters reported.
