New Delhi: Air India will not be operating its flights to and from New York and Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday and Monday, as winter storm Fern is set to bring heavy snow and strong winds across the region.
This announcement was made by the airline on Saturday, as reported by The Telegraph Online.
The cancellations come amid widespread disruptions to US air travel, with airlines issuing travel waivers, warning of delays, and canceling flights as ice, snow, and gusty winds affect major hubs and regional airports across the South, East, and central parts of the country, Air India said.
Winter storm Fern has already led to more than 8,000 flight cancellations over the weekend. Nearly 140 million people are under winter storm warnings stretching from New Mexico to New England.
US’ National Weather Service predicted widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice from east Texas to North Carolina.
“By Friday night, the edge of the storm was sending freezing rain and sleet into parts of Texas while snow and sleet were falling in Oklahoma,” reports said.
The Northeast is expected to be badly affected, with the storm dumping about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Washington through New York and Boston.
Emergencies have been declared by governors in more than a dozen states and residents have been urged to stay home. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told residents on X (formerly Twitter), “Stay home if possible,” as the state’s Department of Transportation pretreated roads
ahead of the storm.
More than 3,400 flights were delayed or canceled on Saturday, with over 5,000 additional flights called off for Sunday. Passenger Angela Exstrom, whose flight from Houston to Omaha was canceled, said, “If you live in the Midwest and travel in the winter, stuff can happen.”
The Midwest experienced wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius), creating a high risk of frostbite.
At Saint Paul Mini Market in Baltimore, storm preparations were a major topic of conversation.
“Every single person that walks in talks about the storm. Somehow, this time around, they did a good job letting people know that here’s a storm coming their way, and everybody knows about the storm, but how to deal with that is another thing,” owner Ayaz Ahmed said,
Utility companies prepared for potential outages, as ice-laden trees and power lines can continue falling long after the storm passes.
Officials have deployed nearly 30 search and rescue teams and positioned over 7 million meals, 600,000 blankets, and 300 generators in the affected areas, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“FEMA is fully prepared to respond,” President Donald Trump said via social media, noting that his administration was coordinating with state and local authorities.
Daily life has been badly disrupted due to the storm, with churches moving Sunday services online and Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry holding its Saturday night radio performance without fans. Carnival parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.
Philadelphia schools announced closures for Monday, with Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr telling students, “It’s also appropriate to have one or two very safe snowball fights.”
Universities across the South, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Mississippi, cancelled classes for Monday.