Over 1,700 flights across US grounded as snowstorm blankets New York City
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New York City may get up to 23cm of snow between 4pm on Dec 26 (5am on Dec 27, Singapore time) and 1pm on Dec 27, local time, said the authorities.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK – Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at New York’s major airports as a significant winter storm descends on the city and neighbouring regions.
New York City and surrounding areas are in line to get 15cm to 23cm of snow, with a winter-storm warning in effect between 4pm on Dec 26 (5am on Dec 27, Singapore time) and 1pm on Dec 27, local time, according to the National Weather Service.
The heaviest snowfall will occur from 6pm Dec 26 to midnight, with as much as 2.5cm to 5cm an hour.
More than 1,700 flights across the United States had been cancelled as at 3.12pm on Dec 26, according to the FlightAware website. Roughly half of those were clustered around flights coming into or leaving New York City’s three major airports – LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark. Detroit, Philadelphia and Boston airports also saw cancellations and delays.
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.
A winter storm warning stretched from NYC to north-east New Jersey and into the Lower Hudson Valley and parts of Long Island and Connecticut, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas could see snowfall top 25cm in the heaviest bands, the agency said.
“Road conditions will be treacherous for those traveling back from the holiday,” the weather service said.
New Jersey declared a state of emergency Dec 26 afternoon and restricted vehicles including tractor-trailers, RVs and motorcycles from certain highways.
“Unfortunately, this storm is hitting us during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year,” Acting Governor Tahesha Way said in an interview with Fox Weather. “If you don’t have to be on the roads, please stay home.”
New York has positioned utility workers so they were ready in case the extreme winter weather knocked out electricity, Governor Kathy Hochul said in an interview with WABC.
More than 1,700 flights across the United States had been cancelled, according to the FlightAware website.
PHOTO: AFP
Winter weather can lead to soaring demand for electricity – crimping power supplies. So far, grids aren’t showing signs of stress, but electricity prices have started to climb. Still, the colder temperatures are helping to lift prices for US natural gas, used as a fuel for home heating. Spot prices in New York City touched about US$127 (S$163) a megawatt-hour at 2.10pm local time, up from US$32 a day earlier.
The colder temperatures also helped to lift prices for US natural gas, used as a fuel for home heating. Futures rose about 3 per cent on Dec 26.
Other parts of the country are also seeing weather-related travel disruptions.
People walk around Central Park as snow falls from the tress after a snowfall in New York City.
PHOTO: REUTERS
A combination of freezing rain, sleet and snow will create hazardous travel conditions from the Great Lakes into New England and the mid-Atlantic through Dec 27 morning, according to the weather service.
The upper Midwest may see “a swath of snow and ice blossoming” Dec 26 morning before a clipper system bumping up against a high pressure system in eastern Canada feeds cold air south over the border, bringing precipitation.
Later this weekend, a potentially stronger cold front will move across the North-east, including the Washington area, which could lead to blustery conditions during the last few days of the year. Parts of western Pennsylvania is under threat of an ice storm, which could cause power outages and make travel hazardous. BLOOMBERG
