Thousands of Flights Canceled As Winter Storm Arrives in Northeast

Nearly 9,000 flights have been canceled since Sunday, and thousands are without power as a winter storm ravages the Northeast.

The National Weather Service said to expect blizzard conditions and up to 20 inches of snow in New York City over a 24-hour period, between Sunday and Monday evening. Parts of New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts could get up to 25 inches.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency and a travel ban during a press conference on Sunday.

“The state of emergency closes the streets, highways, and bridges of New York City for all traffic,” Mamdani said. The travel ban begins at 9 p.m. Sunday and lasts until 12 p.m. on Monday. DoorDash, notably, also said it was suspending deliveries on Sunday night.

In a video posted on social media, which appeared to show Mamdani FaceTiming a young female student, he said that all NYC Public Schools will be closed on Monday for a snow day.

“No online school, no remote learning, full classic snow day,” he said.

Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut have also declared states of emergency, putting in place commercial vehicle bans and travel restrictions.

US airlines are canceling and delaying thousands of flights. As of Monday morning, airlines had canceled nearly 9,000 flights and delayed over 8,000 since Sunday, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

More than 500,000 customers were without electricity as of 6 a.m. ET on Monday, according to PowerOutage.com. Over 300,000 of which are based in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

On Monday morning, New York City’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports had the highest number of cancellations, followed by Boston Logan International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport.

Anyone hoping to catch a flight in the region on Monday can expect major disruptions, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. At LaGuardia Airport, for example, 98% of flights scheduled for Monday have been canceled.

Adding to what will likely be a chaotic 48 hours for travelers, the Department of Homeland Security announced Saturday night that it was suspending TSA PreCheck and Global Entry due to the partial government shutdown.

The Transportation Security Administration later said that PreCheck airport lanes are still running, but Global Entry has been suspended.

Rail disruptions, school closures

All rail, bus, and Access Link services will be suspended until conditions improve, NJ Transit said on Monday.

Several school districts across New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts announced that schools will be closed on Monday.

Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have declared states of emergency.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said the declaration “will allow Philadelphia to more effectively fight this large and dangerous storm as it rolls in.”

Her office said the move frees up additional resources to respond to the storm’s impact, with about 1,000 personnel and more than 800 pieces of equipment — including snowplows, salt spreaders, and excavators — set to be deployed across the city.

The governors of New York and Massachusetts have also activated National Guard troops to assist residents and support emergency response efforts as blizzard conditions worsen.