Snow, high winds and a glacial chill hit the northeastern United States Friday as a blast of brutal wintry weather bore down on many states and major cities, snarling air traffic. Temperatures in New York were expected to drop to 9 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 13 degrees Celsius), according to forecasts.
Some 2,200 flights within, into or out of the United States had been cancelled.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and advisories for a huge area spanning states from Chicago through New York, New England and even the US capital, Washington. Severe weather was also hitting the country’s Midwest, dropping a blanket of snow and cancelling flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
The northeastern winter warning was in effect in New York from Thursday evening through midday Friday, with forecasters predicting four to eight inches (10 to 20 centimeters) of snow and winds that could reach up to 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour. New York City residents were urged to stay off the streets.
The National Weather Service said blizzard conditions were possible for eastern Long Island and the coast of Massachusetts. “Bitter cold will move into the Midwest and East following the storm,” it warned.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo activated the State Emergency Operations Center and also urged people to use mass transit, warning of possible highway closures due to inclement weather. In neighbouring New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency in anticipation of what was to come.
In Boston, where strong snowfall is expected until Friday, temperatures were expected to dip to minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit. School classes and state offices were cancelled for Friday in Massachusetts.
Airports across the region — including Boston’s Logan International — saw major weather-related woes that were expected to extend into Friday.
At New York’s airports, more than 500 f lights were cancelled over the course of the day, with hundreds others delayed.
Please check with your Airline before you travel if you are scheduled for the next few days, or contact us for more information.