SIA flights to and from New York cancelled as ‘super bomb’ blizzard aims heavy snow at US north-east
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Pedestrians braving a winter storm in Queens, New York, on Jan 25.
PHOTO: JANICE CHUNG/NYTIMES
Across New York City and the north-east, 30 million people in the US are under blizzard warnings from a powerful winter storm that threatens to drop heavy, wet wind-blown snow starting from Feb 22 and has already grounded more than 1,000 flights.
All kinds of travel are expected to be near impossible, and the system may lead to widespread power cuts.
The National Weather Service updated its forecast on the afternoon of Feb 21, calling for a long stretch along the East Coast to get up to nearly 51cm. Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned New Yorkers the blizzard may be more dangerous than a storm that hit the city in late January.
“I am asking all New Yorkers to stay inside and stay off the roads for your safety,” Mr Mamdani said at a news conference on Feb 21. “These have the potential to be even more hazardous conditions than we faced the last time around.”
New York subway trains may run with delays and the Long Island Railroad will run on a weekend schedule on Feb 23, Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Janno Lieber said.
New Jersey also declared a state of emergency and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont urged people to stay off the roads from the night of Feb 22 to the morning of Feb 23.
The blizzard warning stretches from Virginia to Massachusetts, including New York, Newark, Providence and Boston.
More than 1,097 flights for Feb 22 and 23 have been cancelled, according to FlightAware, an airline tracking service. The majority are at New York’s airports, along with Boston, Newark and Atlanta.
Singapore Airlines flights to and from New York airports from Feb 22 to Feb 24 are among those that have been cancelled.
The storm is forecast to strengthen so quickly on Feb 22 – with its central pressure, a measure of strength, dropping 24 millibars in 12 hours – that the US Weather Prediction Center is calling it “a super bomb”, said Mr Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the agency.
Mr Hurley said: “It is going to stay awhile, too. It is going to hang around for much of Monday.”
NYC infrastructure
New York City officials will deploy 2,600 sanitation workers in 12-hour shifts as snowfall begins on the morning of Feb 22, though there “will be no clean-ups over the course of this storm”, Mr Mamdani said.
“Our focus over the course of this storm is not going to be on physical infrastructure,” he said. “It’s going to be on people getting homeless New Yorkers inside.”
With temperatures near freezing, the snow will be wet and heavy. Combined with winds gusting as high as nearly 89kmh, they are almost certain to topple power lines and trees, causing power cuts.
Ground travel will be dangerous, and the Weather Service warns anyone venturing out to take a survival kit with them.
Passenger-rail carrier Amtrak said on Feb 21 that it will make service adjustments to some routes in the North-east Corridor on Feb 22 and 23.
The storm will start as rain in Washington early on Feb 22, before changing to snow there and in Baltimore and Philadelphia. Washington may get about 7.5cm. Snow will start falling in New York late on the morning of Feb 22, and build with intensity with the worst coming overnight into Feb 23.
“Everything will be closed on Monday,” said Mr Frank Pereira, a senior branch forecaster at the Weather Prediction Center. “There will be no Monday morning commute for New York City, Boston and along that whole I-95 corridor.”
Singapore Airlines flight cancellations
Singapore Airlines said in an advisory published on Feb 21 that these flights would be cancelled (all times local):
SQ24 departing Singapore for New York (John F. Kennedy) on Feb 22 at 12.10pm
SQ23 departing New York (John F. Kennedy) for Singapore on Feb 22 at 10.05pm
SQ26 departing Frankfurt for New York (John F. Kennedy) on Feb 22 at 8.35am
SQ25 departing New York (John F. Kennedy) for Frankfurt on Feb 22 at 8.15pm
SQ24 departing Singapore for New York (John F. Kennedy) on Feb 23 at 12.10pm
SQ23 departing New York (John F. Kennedy) for Singapore on Feb 23 at 10.05pm
SQ26 departing Frankfurt for New York (John F. Kennedy) on Feb 23 at 8.35am
SQ25 departing New York (John F. Kennedy) for Frankfurt on Feb 23 at 8.15pm
SQ22 departing Singapore for New York (Newark) on Feb 23 at 12.40am
SQ21 departing New York (Newark) for Singapore on Feb 23 at 9.35am
SQ22 departing Singapore for New York (Newark) on Feb 24 at 12.40am
SQ21 departing New York (Newark) for Singapore on Feb 24 at 9.35am
The national carrier said it will contact all affected customers to inform them about the flight cancellations.
As the situation remains fluid, other flights may be affected, it said, advising customers to visit its flight status page for the latest flight information.
Those who have been affected by the flight cancellations will be rebooked on alternative flights, or they can seek a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket.
People who booked directly with SIA may use its assistance request form to seek the refund, it said. Those who booked through travel agents or partner airlines are advised to contact their travel agent or purchasing airline directly for assistance.
The airline apologised to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused. BLOOMBERG
Additional reporting by Daniel Lai
