A winter storm is set to hit the East Coast with snow, ice and rain this weekend, and airlines are preparing by issuing travel alerts.
The worst of the storm is likely to hit north of New York with areas in the Hudson Valley and along the Connecticut coast expected to receive up to 10 inches of snow, CNN mentionted. In Boston, residents could see 4 to 7 inches of snow late Saturday into Sunday night, and areas like Worcester, Massachusetts could see as much as 6 to 12 inches.
Several airlines were preparing for the storm by issuing preemptive travel advisories for large areas of the Northeast. Delta Air Lines issued a warning for cities as far south as Roanoke, Virginia and as far north as Maine for Saturday and Sunday travel. Similarly, united airlines, American Airlines, JetBlueand Spirit Airlines each issued weekend alerts for states including New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and others.
Airlines that issue these travel alerts are waiving change fees and fare differences so passengers can reschedule their flights around the storm.
Flight disruptions were possible over the weekend, but travel on Friday was relatively smooth with about 700 delays in, to or out of the United States as of Friday morning and about 30 cancellations recorded, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul he said in a statement the state was monitoring the forecast but urged people to “be vigilant” as it expected “heavy, wet snowfall in several areas, potentially causing power outages and hazardous travel.”
While winter storms present travel challenges, one group was ready to welcome the snow: New York's snow-starved ski resorts. Mount Belleayre in the Catskill Mountains of New York He wrote was “closely” watching the forecast and Hunter Mountain He wrote was “preparing” for the storm.
