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More than 1,000 flights were canceled or delayed in the northeastern and Great Lakes regions of the United States due to snowfall, as thousands of people headed to roads and airports during the busy travel period between Christmas and New Year.
New York City received about 10.2 cm of snow from Friday night to Saturday morning, slightly below what some forecasts had estimated. At least 1,500 flights were canceled from Friday night, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware. But by morning, both the roads and the skies were clearing.
"Definitely, the storm is subsiding, a bit of snow in the northeast this morning," said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Maryland.He also detailed that the storm was moving from the northwest to the southeast, and that the heaviest snowfall in the New York City metropolitan area reached more than 15 centimeters (6 inches) in central-eastern Long Island. Further north, in the Catskills, communities recorded up to 25 centimeters (10 inches).
Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport issued snow alerts on the social media platform X on Friday, warning that weather conditions could cause flight disruptions. The National Weather Service warned of dangerous travel conditions from the Great Lakes to the mid-Atlantic and southern New England, with the potential for damage to trees and power outages. In Times Square, workers in red jumpsuits were cleaning the streets and sidewalks covered in dirt using shovels and snow blowers. Jennifer Yokley, who was there on a vacation trip from North Carolina, said she was excited to see the snow accumulating as it covered buildings, trees, and signs throughout the city. "I think it was absolutely beautiful," he commented. A group of children play in the snow in Manhattan's Central Park, New York (REUTERS/Kena Betancur) Payton Baker and Kolby Gray, who were visiting from West Virginia, said the snow was a Christmas surprise for their third anniversary trip. "Well, it's very cold, and it was very unexpected," Baker commented. "The city is working pretty well to salt all the streets and everything, so it's okay." Before the storm, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for more than half of the demarcation. New Jersey's acting governor, Tahesha Way, also declared a state of emergency. "This storm will cause dangerous conditions on the roads and affect travel during the holidays," Way said in a statement. "We urge travelers to avoid traveling during the storm and allow crews to attend to the roads. Drivers should plan their trip accordingly, monitor road conditions and closures, and follow all safety protocols." Authorities called on the population to mobilize with caution amid the intense snowfall (REUTERS/Adam Gray)
