The Christmas holidays in America have brought difficulties. These days, many people had planned their vacation but due to the snow storm, all the plans were ruined. These days, the severe storms across America have badly affected the travel system. Due to these storms, more than 1,800 flights were canceled, while thousands of flights were delayed. Meanwhile, at least three people have died in the devastating floods in California.
Holiday travel was most affected as Snow Storm Devon passed through large parts of the country. The storm brought heavy snowfall to the Northeast and Midwest regions, while record-breaking rainfall was recorded in California.
As of Friday afternoon, airlines had canceled 1,802 flights and delayed more than 22,000 flights, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, as millions of Americans tried to return home after Christmas.
The Upper Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions witnessed a White Christmas, where snow, sleet and freezing rain affected road and air travel. New York's major airports—John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were most affected by the snowfall. More than half of the total flights canceled across the country were connected to these airports.
According to Reuters report, JetBlue canceled the most flights, followed by Delta Air Lines, Republic Airways and American Airlines.
Spokespeople for American Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue said change fees have been waived for affected passengers. Explaining the travel disruption, a JetBlue spokesperson said, "Due to Winter Storm Devin, JetBlue has canceled approximately 350 flights today and tomorrow, the majority of which are in the Northeast, where JetBlue has major operations."
Before the storm, a state of emergency was declared in New York and New Jersey. Announcing this decision, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, "Heavy snowfall is expected to begin in New York City and its surrounding areas this evening, so I am declaring a state of emergency so that our agencies and local partners have the resources and equipment needed to deal with the storm."
Acting Governor of New Jersey Tahesha Way also appealed to travelers to exercise caution. The storm will create dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel, he said in a statement. We are urging travelers to avoid traveling during the storm and allow road clearing teams to do their work.
The National Weather Service warned that Winter Storm Devin will create dangerous travel conditions from the Great Lakes to the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Saturday morning.
In New York City and its surrounding areas, weather experts have predicted snowfall of one to two inches per hour, while in some places the total snowfall could be up to 11 inches. The New York City Department of Emergency Management has advised residents not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
While the snow storm wreaked havoc in north-eastern America, California had to face a completely different kind of crisis. Heavy rain in California has increased the difficulty. Roads were flooded, landslides occurred, there were large-scale power outages. According to officials, the situation became so bad that three people died due to it.
