Air travel ground to a near halt across much of the country Sunday into Monday as a complex patchwork of powerful storms barreled across the Midwest and East Coast.
Heavy snow and damaging high winds struck the Upper Midwest, while parts of the South, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast are now facing thunderstorms and heavy rain.
On Sunday, snow and low visibility impacted operations at Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Chicago O’Hare, Midway, and Milwaukee. Disruptions in some of those markets persisted through the night, as strong winds and precipitation continue.
By Monday, the center of activity had shifted to the East Coast. Some of the most intense storm clusters are expected to hit New York, Washington, D.C., and parts of the South. The National Weather Service has issued tornado warnings for parts of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.
As of Monday morning, about 3,600 flights have been delayed across the U.S., and almost 2,400 have been canceled, according to tracking website FlightAware. O’Hare, LaGuardia, Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta, New York-JFK, Boston, Baltimore/Washington, Detroit, and Milwaukee reported the highest number of cancellations.
The late winter system comes at a particularly fraught moment for U.S. air travel. A partial government shutdown is blocking pay for TSA workers, and passengers at some airports are facing hourslong waits to clear security. On top of that, the spring break travel season is ramping up, with millions of students and families expected to fly within the U.S. over the next several weeks.
