Winter storms across the United States have affected more than 2,200 flights so far today, with at least 1,109 delayed and 1,116 canceled as of 11am ET, according to CBS. Airlines most affected are SkyWest, Delta and Southwest, while Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Denver International Airport, Detroit Metro Airport saw the most cancelations and delays.
From CBS:
Along with SkyWest, Delta and Southwest are among the airlines most affected by this week's winter storm. Each individual airline had already canceled between 231 and 239 flights by mid-morning on Wednesday, the database showed, while Southwest and Delta reported 178 and 152 delayed trips, respectively. …
Other U.S.-based airlines, including United, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, were reporting fewer cancellations — between 30 and 40 each, roughly — but logging mounting delays. According to FlightAware, 119 American Airlines flights were delayed on Wednesday morning, as were more than 90 flights operated by United.
The latest flight disruptions came as the week's massive storm prompted officials to enact weather alerts for 29 U.S. states — up from 22 alerts reported on Tuesday — which affects around 75 million people. As expected, the upper-level weather pattern intensified as it moved from its origin spot in the Pacific Northwest over western mountain states and toward the Midwest and Great Lakes regions between Tuesday and Wednesday.
And from CNBC:
Residents across the northern Plains will be hunkering down as the storm hits, with schools across the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin announcing closures ahead of the severe weather system, which is expected to impact millions while California contends with strong winds and sweeping power outages.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm, blizzard and high-wind advisories for swaths of the western and the northcentral U.S. in anticipation of the storm, with up to 2 feet of snow expected in some areas through Thursday. Officials have also warned residents to stay off the roads due to potential "whiteout" conditions.
