Arctic blast sweeps US: Winter storm disrupts flights, Houston to close airports

New York: A fast-moving winter storm will sweep across the US Northeast on Sunday, snarling travel and creating frigid windchills that linger into the work week, while Texas is bracing for plunging temperatures. 

The northeast storm is threatening to dump up to 4 inches (10.2 centimeters) of snow in Washington, the site of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, which has already been forced indoors due to the weather forecast.

New York City and Philadelphia may get between 4 and 6 inches of snow, said Marc Chenard, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. Further to the northeast, Boston may get more than 6 inches of snow, with some locations further away from the coast getting 8 inches.

Behind the storm, winds will pick up on Monday as temperatures drop, making conditions in Washington feel close to 10F (-12.2C).  

The gathering storm has already put a crimp on air travel, with hundreds of flights cancelled on Sunday in New York, largely at Newark, New Jersey, and Washington’s two major airports, according to FlightAware.

The winter storm sweeping through the tri-state area is severely disrupting air travel, leading to numerous cancellations and extended delays at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports.

Several flights departing from the region, including those heading to Boston and Washington D.C., have already been cancelled.

In addition, arriving flights are experiencing delays, with some inbound flights to JFK Airport reportedly delayed by as much as 2.5 hours, according to NYC Emergency Management.

Further south, Texas is facing a cold snap and an unusual dumping of snow. A winter storm warning will be in effect for all of the southeast of the state for 24 hours from 6pm Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Frigid conditions have the potential to disrupt oil production, refineries and chemical plants along the US Gulf Coast.

The George Bush Intercontinental Airport and the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston have announced a temporary suspension of operations from midnight Tuesday Jan. 21. Schools in and around the 4th largest US city will be shut through at least Wednesday because of the snow and cold.

On the other side of the country, Santa Ana winds are forecast to pick up across wildfire-scarred Southern California, with gusts reaching 60 miles per hour (96.6 kilometers per hour) in places, the Weather Prediction Center’s Chenard said. More red-flag fire warnings have been posted through the region.