More than 1,800 flights within, into or out of the United States had been canceled as of 7 a.m. ET Monday as a massive weather system disrupted air travel across parts of the country, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to impose ground stops and delays at major airports including Atlanta and Houston, according to FlightAware and FAA data.
More than 1,200 additional delays involving U.S. flights were also reported, the data showed.
The disruptions come during the busy spring break travel season — one of the peak periods for airline demand — leaving many travelers scrambling to find alternative flights.
The bulk of the cancellations were reported at airports in the New York region, with 149 flights canceled at LaGuardia Airport, 88 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, about 63 at Boston Logan International Airport and 27 at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to FlightAware.
2K FLIGHTS CANCELED IN SINGLE DAY, TURNING MAJOR AIRPORT INTO VIRTUAL GHOST TOWN
The region is one of the busiest aviation corridors in the world, meaning disruptions there can quickly ripple across the national air travel network.
Another major disruption point was Chicago O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s largest airline hubs, which reported 133 canceled departures and 202 canceled arrivals, according to the data.
Several major airlines were also heavily affected. Endeavor Air reported 278 cancellations, followed by Southwest Airlines with 265, Delta Air Lines with 231, American Airlines with 181, Republic with 171 and SkyWest with 156, FlightAware data showed.
Other major US hubs reporting cancellations included Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Orlando International Airport, indicating the severe weather was disrupting flights across multiple regions of the country.
The travel disruptions come as a powerful March storm system sweeps across the United States, bringing blizzard conditions to parts of the Midwest and a rare severe storm threat along the East Coast.
Federal aviation authorities were already implementing traffic management restrictions early Monday as the system moved across the country. The Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System status page showed a ground stop at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport due to thunderstorms, while Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport was experiencing ground delays because of high winds. New York’s LaGuardia Airport was also reporting departure delays due to low cloud ceilings, according to the FAA.
The FAA also warned that additional ground stop and delay programs could be implemented later Monday at major hubs including Chicago O’Hare, Washington-area airports, New York’s JFK and Boston Logan as the storm system intensifies.
The FOX Forecast Center warned that the East Coast faces a Level 4 out of 5 severe weather risk, with damaging winds of 70 to 80 mph and several tornadoes possible from the Mid-Atlantic into parts of the Carolinas later Monday.
Meanwhile, parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes are digging out from historic snowfall totals, including Green Bay, Wisconsin, which recorded 14.8 inches in its snowiest day in 137 years, according to FOX Weather. Spalding, Michigan, also recorded 26 inches of snow, FOX Weather reported.
FOX Weather reported that more than 5,000 flights have already been canceled nationwide through Tuesday as the sprawling storm system continues to disrupt travel across multiple regions.
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Ground stops were also anticipated at major hubs later Monday as severe storms approached the Atlantic coast, according to FOX Weather.
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