Travel Chaos as Airlines Cancel Flights, 200 Million Under Warnings of ‘Once-In-A-Generation’ Storm

A snowy Vermont country road

Airlines are cancelling thousands of flights, just as one of the busiest travel periods of the year gets underway, thanks to freezing temperatures, dangerous winds, and snow across large swaths of the country.

Over 200 million people – some 60% of the U.S. population – are under either a weather warning or advisory from a “historic winter storm,” the National Weather Service said Friday, also saying it would be a “once-in-a-generation” event.

The powerful Arctic front will “continue to sweep across the eastern third of the nation,” the weather service said in a bulletin that warned of “widespread impacts to travel” and the “potential for power outages” going into the Christmas holiday weekend.

“In addition to the very cold temperatures, high winds in the wake of the front will produce dangerous wind chill readings across nearly all of the central to eastern U.S.,” the National Weather Service added.

The storm will have something for everyone: Ice, Wind, Lake-effect snow, Lakeshore flooding, Subfreezing temperatures, Blizzard conditions, Widespread power outages.

Airlines began to cull flights on Wednesday in anticipation of the once-in-a-generation storm. Over 3,800 flights within, into, and out of the United States have been cancelled and an additional 3,974 have been delayed as of 12:15 p.m. EDT on Friday.  On Thursday, there were 11,290 delays and 2,685 cancellations.  Almost 200 flights have already been cancelled that were scheduled for Sunday, Christmas Day, and more cancellations are expected in the coming hours and days.

Airports with some of the highest numbers of cancelled and delayed flights include Seattle-Tacoma International, Denver International, New York’s LaGuardia, and Chicago O’Hare International.

Driving conditions are expected to be extremely hazardous and roadway closures are in effect or soon to be in effect in many parts of the country. Road conditions and visibility are quickly deteriorating as the storm moves in.

A travel ban went into effect for all of Erie County at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The ban means no one should be on county roadways, except for essential workers.

Highways across a large swath of south-central and southwest Minnesota were shut down overnight, as winds strengthened and sent freshly fallen snow airborne, creating severe whiteout conditions.

“Winds will increase later this morning,” the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities said Friday morning. “Don’t let your guard down today.”

(Photo: Accura Media Group)