At least 400 flights cancelled, many delayed as snowstorm affects New York City airports

NEW YORK – Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at New York’s major airports as a winter storm descends on the city and neighbouring regions.

At least 400 international and domestic flights have been cancelled and many delayed, according to FlightAware, an airline tracking service. New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, as well as nearby Newark, were among the hardest hit.

Heavy snow is expected to start falling in New York City and across Long Island from the afternoon of Dec 26 to Dec 27, with as much as 20cm piling up before the storm winds down, forecaster Richard Bann with the US Weather Prediction Center said late on Dec 25.

New York City issued a travel advisory for the duration of the storm as cold temperatures limit snowmelt, increasing the risk of slippery and hazardous road conditions.

The city’s five boroughs, Westchester, southern Connecticut and north-eastern New Jersey may see snow accumulations between 10cm and 20cm as the storm moves through the area from Dec 26 at about 4pm local time (5am on Dec 27, Singapore time) to Dec 27 at 1pm, according to the National Weather Service. 

“The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening commute,” the weather service said in the notice issued on Dec 25.

The winter watch extends into Philadelphia, with the storm expected to move offshore into the mid-Atlantic by the morning of Dec 27, the service said. Wintry precipitation will give way to freezing rain as the storm moves south. 

A potentially stronger cold front will move across the north-east, including the Washington area, towards the end of the weekend, which could lead to blustery conditions during the last few days of 2025.

Parts of western Pennsylvania may be hit by an ice storm, which could cause power outages and make travel hazardous, the US National Weather Service said. BLOOMBERG