Winter storms in the US and Canada have led to thousands of flight cancellations with more scheduled for today and tomorrow.
More than 7,741 flights were delayed and 3,483 were cancelled in the United States on Sunday, according to Flightaware.com, a website tracking air travel.
Half of the flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were delayed yesterday as the city was hit by a storm that dropped a foot of snow in some places.
1,997 cancellations are reported in the US today including 45% of flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, 52% of flights at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport in Ohio and 12% of flights at Le Guardia airport in New York.
There are also 172 flight delays reported in the US today.
A further 350 flights in the US have already been cancelled for Tuesday.
"The coldest temperatures in almost two decades will spread into the northern and central US today behind an arctic cold front," the US National Weather Service said on Sunday.
"Combined with gusty winds, these temperatures will result in life-threatening wind chill values as low as 60 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit/minus 51 degrees Celsius)."
Numerous flight delays and cancellations were reported in the major airports of Atlantic Canada. On Saturday there were reports of a power outage at St. John’s airport.
In New York City, John F. Kennedy International Airport was closed for a couple of hours on Sunday morning after a Delta Air Flight from Toronto skidded off a taxiway soon after landing. No injuries were reported.
Eight flights were diverted to a Connecticut airport because of icy runways and the plane skidding, officials said.
