More than 2,300 flights into and out of the four major area airports have been canceled as the area braces for a major winter storm that will stretch into Monday.
Travelers are advised to check with their airlines as the number of canceled and delayed flights is expected to climb sharply through the day.
“Air travel disruptions are escalating quickly,” AccuWeather.com said. “Flight cancellations are surging nationwide as ice and snow spread through major airport hubs.”
According to FlightAware.com, the scheduled arrivals and departures canceled as of 7:45 a.m. on Saturday are:
Newark Liberty International Airport: 64 canceled on Saturday; 440 on Sunday; and 31 on MondayJohn F. Kennedy International Airport: 59 on Saturday; 602 on Sunday; and 75 on MondayLaGuardia Airport: 87 on Saturday; 711 Sunday; and 82 on MondayPhiladelphia International Airport: 38 on Saturday; 172 on Sunday; and 4 on Monday
Nationwide, 3,571 flights on Saturday have been canceled with another 6,155 are already shelved for Sunday.
“Air travel disruptions are escalating quickly. Flight cancellations are surging nationwide as ice and snow spread through major airport hubs,” said Dan Pydynowski, AccuWeather’s senior meteorologist.
“What makes this storm especially dangerous is the duration of impacts. Some locations could endure 24 hours or more of freezing rain, ice, or snow,” he added.
American Airlines, with 822 canceled flights, and Southwest Airlines, with 571, had scrapped the most flights worldwide as of early Saturday morning.
The storm is expected to pack a mix of ice, sleet and potentially more than a foot of snow across most of New Jersey and surrounding states. Winter storm warnings are in effect for the entire state beginning late Saturday night and early Sunday. Snow is expected to begin falling after midnight.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill has declared a state of emergency starting at 5 p.m. Saturday.