(Dec 27): Major storms on both US coasts and into the upper Midwest are disrupting travel plans during the busy post-holiday period when many Americans are making their way back home.
More than 1,600 flights across the US had been cancelled as of Friday afternoon, according to the FlightAware website. JetBlue Airways Corp was the carrier with the most cancellations on Friday, with more than 200, according to FlightAware. That was followed by Delta Air Lines Inc.
New York City’s three major airports – LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark — were hit hard by the disruptions, with as much as nine inches (23cm) of snow forecast for the areas. Detroit, Philadelphia and Boston airports also saw cancellations and delays. Heavy rains, mudslides and flooding prompted road closures in California, while the Great Lakes region faces accumulating ice.
The disruptions are striking at one of the busiest travel times of the year. A record number of Americans were projected to venture at least 50 miles from home during the Dec 20-Jan 1 period, the American Automobile Association forecast, up about 2% from last year.
What’s making the flooding, blizzards, snow and ice especially dangerous is that more travellers were expected to choose roads over flights this year. About 109.5 million Americans were projected to drive for their holiday plans this year, according to the AAA outlook. Some eight million were forecast to fly.
JetBlue said in an emailed statement it cancelled about 350 flights between Friday and Saturday, primarily in the Northeast. “We are working to assist affected customers with rescheduling,” the company said.
See also: Snow storm disrupts holiday travel at New York City airports
United Airlines Holdings Inc said it published “a weather waiver to give maximum flexibility to customers”. It also reduced its schedule in advance to minimise disruption once the storm arrives, a company representative said in an email. Southwest Airlines Co said it made some schedule adjustments in the Northeast, primarily at New York’s LaGuardia airport and in Baltimore.
The extreme weather comes amid the return of La Niña, the pattern marked by a cooling of Pacific waters that can disrupt economies and trigger disasters worldwide.
“La Niña winters are notorious for their volatility, and we are certainly getting a healthy serving of that this holiday season,” said Matt Rogers, president of the Commodity Weather Group. “The weather models have been struggling to keep up with all the moving parts and variations in the forecast.”
See also: Spiritual healing at Borobudur's Le Temple
New York City issued a travel advisory for Friday evening into Saturday as cold temperatures limit snowmelt, increasing the risk of slippery and hazardous road conditions. Pennsylvania residents were warned to prepare for power outages because of the severe winter weather. And in California, flooding, storm damage and debris led to dozens of road closures in the Los Angeles area alone, county data show, with further closures and disruptions reported throughout the state.
Winter weather can lead to soaring demand for electricity — crimping power supplies. So far, grids aren’t showing signs of stress, but electricity prices have started to climb. Spot prices in New York City touched about US$127 ($163.08) a megawatt-hour at 2.10pm, up from US$32 a day earlier.
The colder temperatures also helped to lift prices for US natural gas, used as a fuel for home heating. Futures rose about 3% on Friday.
New York, New Jersey
New York City and surrounding areas are in line to get six to nine inches (15 to 23cm) of snow, with a winter-storm warning in effect between 4pm Friday and 1pm Saturday, local time, local time, according to the National Weather Service.
A winter storm warning stretched from NYC to northeast New Jersey and into the Lower Hudson Valley and parts of Long Island and Connecticut, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas could see snowfall top 10 inches in the heaviest bands, the agency said.
New Jersey declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon and restricted vehicles including tractor-trailers, RVs and motorcycles from certain highways.
To stay ahead of Singapore and the region’s corporate and economic trends, click here for Latest Section
“Road conditions will be treacherous for those travelling back from the holiday,” the weather service said.
California
After days of deluge in California, a final system bringing bands of moderate to heavy rain will move across the state Friday, threatening flash floods and mudslides.
The National Weather Service cancelled flash flood warnings Friday but retained flood advisories and watches through San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
More than 50,000 homes and businesses in the state were without power Friday afternoon, mostly in Northern California, according to PowerOutage.us.
In California’s mountain areas, the weather service has warned of “near whiteout conditions at times” that will make travel dangerous and likely cause delays and road closures.
Midwest
A combination of freezing rain, sleet and snow will create hazardous travel conditions from the Great Lakes into New England and the mid-Atlantic through Saturday morning, according to the weather service.
The upper Midwest may see “a swath of snow and ice blossoming” Friday morning before a clipper system bumping up against a high-pressure system in eastern Canada feeds cold air south over the border, bringing precipitation.
Uploaded by Chng Shear Lane
