Thousands of flights were delayed at airports across the United States on Wednesday, as a coast-to-coast winter storm made its way through the western and central states, with snow falling at a rate of two inches an hour and gusty winds made travel conditions treacherous
This followed several days of reported disruptions to air travel, which prompted major airlines such as Delta and Southwest to issue weather waivers in anticipation of further scheduling issues.
According to the online tracking database FlightAware, at least 5,983 U.S. flights were delayed and another 1,695 were canceled. Those numbers account for flights originally scheduled to move within, into or out of the U.S.
Along with SkyWest, Delta and Southwest are among the airlines most affected by this week’s winter storm. Each individual airline had already canceled between 253 and 345 flights by mid-morning on Wednesday, the database showed, while Southwest and Delta reported 373 and 468 delayed trips, respectively. SkyWest reported another 317 delays. Other U.S.-based airlines, including United, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, were reporting fewer cancellations – between 40 and 45 each, roughly – but logging mounting delays. According to FlightAware, 288 American Airlines flights were delayed on Wednesday afternoon, as were 354 flights operated by United.
By Thursday, a massive winter storm with heavy snow and powerful winds had slammed the Northern Plains and Midwest on its cross-country trek, triggering major power outages, more flight cancellations and road closures.
According to Accuweather reports, the Northeast felt the effects on Thursday morning as a mix of sleet and freezing rain was falling east of Syracuse, New York, to Boston.
“For the first time in 34 years, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Southern California Mountains through Saturday. Some coastal areas could see 10-foot waves.”
