Major delays are happening at airports across the U.S. as winter storms continue to lash the country.
Why It Matters
An expansion of the polar vortex—the area of cold air that circulates around the Arctic—has caused travel chaos across the U.S., with tens of millions of Americans across the Midwest and North East impacted. Several airports across the country are suffering considerable delays, with some flights cancelled.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of "considerable disruptions to daily life," including "dangerous or impossible driving conditions and widespread closures," making travel "very difficult to impossible" throughout Monday.
What To Know
FlightAware.com is reporting a total of 482 delays within, into, or out of the U.S., along with 1,310 flight cancellations.
Virginia is currently the worst impacted state, with several of its major airports reporting a high number of delays and cancellations. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has cancelled 57 percent of all its flights, followed by Baltimore Washington International Airport, where 38 percent of all flights have been axed. At Washington Dulles, 24 percent of all flights will not be going ahead today.
Elsewhere, Kansas City International Airport has suffered a 36 percent cancellation rate, while 33 percent of all flights out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport are not going ahead.
According to FlightStats.com, the following airports are currently experiencing "significant" to "excessive" delays:
- (BWI) Baltimore Washington International Airport
- (DCA) Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- (ORF) Norfolk International Airport
- (IAD) Washington Dulles International Airport
- (RIC) Richmond International Airport
- (STL) St Louis Lambert International Airport
- (IND) Indianapolis International Airport
- (MCI) Kansas City International Airport
- (CVG) Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
- (CMH) John Glenn Columbus International Airport
- (SDF) Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
The following airports are experiencing "moderate" delays:
- (BNA) Nashville International Airport
- (ORD) Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- (ALB) Albany International Airport
- (BOS) Boston Logan International Airport
What People Are Saying
Numerous airports, including BWI, DCA, and IAD, have reminded passengers to keep up to date with their flight information and contact their airline if there are delays or cancellations.
The National Weather Service in its 2:50 a.m. EST short range update: "The [storm] system will produce 6-12 inches of snow across the Mid-Atlantic, including the Washington, D.C. metro area. Travelers should anticipate significant disruptions."
What's Next
Exactly how long delays will last is uncertain, although the poor weather conditions are expected to last throughout Monday and into Tuesday at least. For the Washington-Baltimore area, the NWS has said there will be "another round of snow through this evening" which could further impact road and air travel, while "cold temperatures & gusty winds" are expected to "hang around through the week."
Periods of heavy snow continue this morning, with some sleet & freezing rain starting to mix in. A lull is expected late this morning through the early afternoon, followed by another round of snow through this evening. Cold temperatures & gusty winds hang around through the week. pic.twitter.com/11wpp3wWYy
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) January 6, 2025
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