More than 12,500 US flights delayed or cancelled due to major storms
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Passengers stand in one of the terminals as multiple flights have been cancelled and delayed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on March 16 in Arlington, Virginia.
PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK – The eastern half of the US, including New York, Chicago and Atlanta, has been hit with widespread air travel delays and cancellations as a potential bomb-cyclone winter storm brings heavy snow, rain and possible tornadoes.
By 4.30pm New York time on March 16 (4.30am on March 17), 3,982 flights had been cancelled across the US, with another 8,851 delayed, according to FlightAware. Major hubs in Chicago, New York – including LaGuardia – Charlotte and Atlanta were among the hardest hit.
The disruption stems from a massive storm dropping snow by the foot across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and bringing gusts as high as 113kph in the Mid-Atlantic. Tornado watches that signal the potential for such storms cover the East Coast from New Jersey to Florida, including Philadelphia and Trenton, the National Weather Service said.
The storm’s central pressure may drop so rapidly it will meet the definition of a bomb cyclone, according to commercial forecaster AccuWeather Inc. A storm meets the criteria when its pressure drops about 24 millibars in 24 hours.
In Washington DC, the weather prompted officials to close public schools two hours early March 16, with all afternoon and evening activities cancelled, according to the district’s website.
Additionally, more than 383,000 homes and businesses from Texas to the East Coast were without power, according to PowerOutage.com.
Heavy snow of 51cm or more has pummelled a stretch from South Dakota to Michigan, while high winds have knocked down trees and power lines from Maine to Texas.
Once the storm passes, conditions across the US should ease, with the largest threat shifting to record heat in California and southwestern cities including Phoenix, said Peyton Simmers, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.
Across the US, mainly in the West, 465 daily record highs may be broken or tied through next weekend, the US Weather Prediction Center said.
Hawaii, meantime, has been battered by heavy rain that caused widespread flooding. While a major storm that has been hammering the island state has faded, there is still a deep plume of moisture that will pump more rain into the region, said Mr Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. BLOOMBERG
