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A wintry storm has created Thanksgiving travel misery across the East Coast, with over 700 flights canceled Wednesday and heavy snow leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
There were more 4,688 delays at airports across the U.S by 10pm Wednesday and more are expected Thursday as the storm moves across the East Coast, reports Flight Aware.
Snow fell in every state from Virginia to Maine as Winter Coast Storm Cato hit its peak, with over a foot by midday in the Mid-Atlantic region and the same amount expected in New England.
The snow is expected to carry through overnight to Thanksgiving, with rain to hit in the morning and then again turn to snow in the afternoon for Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and interior New England, according to ABC News.
Governor Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency throughout New Jersey.
‘The storm will have a major impact nationwide to air travel, as the ripple effect from delays and cancellations in the Northeast hubs impacts the rest of the country,’ CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
‘Expect very long delays, in some cases averaging three to six hours for major airports in D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston, which will be impacted by a combination of heavy rain, snow and wind,’ Hennen said.
‘Most delays and cancellations will occur from late morning through Wednesday evening.’
Kevin Roth, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel said the conditions in areas can change dramatically.
Roth said the cut-off line between heavy and light snow was likely to be very abrupt.
‘Someone could go from an inch in the southeast of a city and drive 10 miles northwest and find themselves in more than 10 inches,’ he said, reports NBC News.
Major Northeast cities were likely to see moderate to heavy rain most of the day on Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Sullivan said.
Higher elevation areas west of the InHigher elevation areas west of the Interstate 95 corridor could see as much as 6 to 12 inches before the nor’easter exits Wednesday night.
Governor Chris Christie said: ‘Today’s storm is expected to produce travel hazards and potentially cause power outages throughout the state.’
‘I’ve authorized state officials to take all necessary action to prepare, and my administration will continue monitoring conditions throughout the remainder of the storm.
‘With higher than normal traffic volume due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I strongly encourage all New Jerseyans to drive carefully so that they and their families arrive safely at their destinations. ‘
Major Northeast cities were likely to see moderate to heavy rain most of the day on Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Sullivan said.
Higher elevation areas west of the InHigher elevation areas west of the Interstate 95 corridor could see as much as 6 to 12 inches before the nor’easter exits Wednesday night.
‘Right now we don’t see snow as a big issue in most of the major cities like Washington, Philadelphia and New York,’ Sullivan said.
‘The snow is really going to have to come down to get any type of accumulation.’
NJ Transit executive director Veronique Haim said Wednesday is the commuter mass transit agency’s busiest travel day of the year.
In addition to operating on a weekday schedule, NJ Transit said additional ‘early getaway’ service will be available from New York, Newark and Hoboken Terminal starting Wednesday afternoon.
Major airlines dropped their ticket-change fees for people flying in and out of the Northeast, allowing passengers to try to sneak on an earlier flight, though that appeared to be a challenging proposition since most planes were filled.
United said it was planning to cancel 100 flights Wednesday in and out of Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey – a small fraction of the traffic there.
Delta planned to cancel 57 flights.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports, said it was lining up extra staff and snow removal equipment in the event of a heavy snowfall.
Crews were prepared to work in 12-hour shifts if necessary, officials said.
Transport experts have told people to change plans to leave Wednesday.
The AAA recommended that the 41 million road travelers due to drive over Thanksgiving choose to wait until Thursday in order to dodge the storm.
Some travelers did not wait for the precipitation to start before heading for their holiday dinner tables.
A wintry storm has created Thanksgiving travel misery across the East Coast, with over 700 flights canceled Wednesday and heavy snow leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
There were more 4,688 delays at airports across the U.S by 10pm Wednesday and more are expected Thursday as the storm moves across the East Coast, reports Flight Aware.
Snow fell in every state from Virginia to Maine as Winter Coast Storm Cato hit its peak, with over a foot by midday in the Mid-Atlantic region and the same amount expected in New England.
The snow is expected to carry through overnight to Thanksgiving, with rain to hit in the morning and then again turn to snow in the afternoon for Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and interior New England, according to ABC News.
Governor Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency throughout New Jersey.
‘The storm will have a major impact nationwide to air travel, as the ripple effect from delays and cancellations in the Northeast hubs impacts the rest of the country,’ CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
‘Expect very long delays, in some cases averaging three to six hours for major airports in D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston, which will be impacted by a combination of heavy rain, snow and wind,’ Hennen said.
‘Most delays and cancellations will occur from late morning through Wednesday evening.’
Kevin Roth, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel said the conditions in areas can change dramatically.
Roth said the cut-off line between heavy and light snow was likely to be very abrupt.
‘Someone could go from an inch in the southeast of a city and drive 10 miles northwest and find themselves in more than 10 inches,’ he said, reports NBC News.
Major Northeast cities were likely to see moderate to heavy rain most of the day on Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Sullivan said.
Higher elevation areas west of the InHigher elevation areas west of the Interstate 95 corridor could see as much as 6 to 12 inches before the nor’easter exits Wednesday night.
Governor Chris Christie said: ‘Today’s storm is expected to produce travel hazards and potentially cause power outages throughout the state.’
‘I’ve authorized state officials to take all necessary action to prepare, and my administration will continue monitoring conditions throughout the remainder of the storm.
‘With higher than normal traffic volume due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I strongly encourage all New Jerseyans to drive carefully so that they and their families arrive safely at their destinations. ‘
Major Northeast cities were likely to see moderate to heavy rain most of the day on Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Sullivan said.
Higher elevation areas west of the InHigher elevation areas west of the Interstate 95 corridor could see as much as 6 to 12 inches before the nor’easter exits Wednesday night.
‘Right now we don’t see snow as a big issue in most of the major cities like Washington, Philadelphia and New York,’ Sullivan said.
‘The snow is really going to have to come down to get any type of accumulation.’
NJ Transit executive director Veronique Haim said Wednesday is the commuter mass transit agency’s busiest travel day of the year.
In addition to operating on a weekday schedule, NJ Transit said additional ‘early getaway’ service will be available from New York, Newark and Hoboken Terminal starting Wednesday afternoon.
Major airlines dropped their ticket-change fees for people flying in and out of the Northeast, allowing passengers to try to sneak on an earlier flight, though that appeared to be a challenging proposition since most planes were filled.
United said it was planning to cancel 100 flights Wednesday in and out of Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey – a small fraction of the traffic there.
Delta planned to cancel 57 flights.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports, said it was lining up extra staff and snow removal equipment in the event of a heavy snowfall.
Crews were prepared to work in 12-hour shifts if necessary, officials said.
Transport experts have told people to change plans to leave Wednesday.
The AAA recommended that the 41 million road travelers due to drive over Thanksgiving choose to wait until Thursday in order to dodge the storm.
Some travelers did not wait for the precipitation to start before heading for their holiday dinner tables.
