Millions of Americans heading into a holiday weekend are facing messy travel conditions, with snow, gusty winds and bitter cold snarling flights and roads across the eastern half of the country.
More than 2,700 U.S. flights were delayed Saturday morning as winter weather spread from the Great Lakes to the Northeast and into parts of the South.
Roughly 17 million people are under winter alerts. Lake-effect snow is targeting areas downwind of lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario, where 5 to 10 inches of accumulation is possible through the weekend. Alerts are scattered over parts of the Northeast and the Appalachian Mountains, including Poughkeepsie, Portland, Concord, and Lancaster in New York, where 1 to 3 inches of snow is possible.
Along the busy I-95 corridor, a dusting of up to 2 inches is forecast from Washington, D.C., to New York City, and up to 3 inches is likely in the Boston area. Alerts also include parts of eastern Alabama and Georgia, where a dusting of up to 1 inch is possible early Sunday morning.
Snow showers will continue over parts of the Great Lakes, Appalachians and Northeast, spreading into parts of New England through Saturday afternoon before tapering off overnight. Further south, a new system will push rain from the Gulf to the mid-Atlantic late Saturday, with rain switching to snow by the next morning. Snow flurries could fall as far south as Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
Parts of northern New Jersey were buried in a thick white blanket of snow Saturday morning, making travel difficult. In New York City, residents woke up to heavy snow falling outside their windows, creating a whiteout effect across the city. Similar scenes were spotted across Pennsylvania.
In addition to the2,728flight delays Saturday morning,76other flights were canceled, according toFlightAware.com. Ground stops have also been issued at Newark Liberty International Airport and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey due to snow.
Additional rain and snow showers will persist through the afternoon hours from the Carolinas to New England. Snow showers will pick up in intensity over New England Sunday night into Monday morning before dissipating by the midmorning hours.
New York City Emergency Management issued a travel advisory for Sunday as snow accumulations are expected to reach up to 4 inches in some areas and stick due to low temperatures.
A Code Blue has also been activated in the city, deploying outreach teams across all five boroughs to help those who need access to shelter.
"Sanitation workers are already out across all five boroughs, coordinated across agencies and showing up in tough conditions to keep everyone safe," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. Mamdani urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and check in on neighbors.
Arctic temperatures
Dangerous cold is gripping the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Cold weather alerts remain in effect for parts of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Montana, where wind chills could plunge as low as 35 degrees below zero.
Temperatures across much of the Great Plains and Midwest will run 10 to 20 degrees below average, with highs in the single digits and teens.
A dangerously cold night is also expected throughout the Northern Tier, with overnight wind chills as low as 25 below zero in parts of the Upper Midwest. Due to the strong wind gusts, it could feel as cold as the single digits, teens or 20s across the eastern half of the country. Despite these cold temperatures, no record lows are anticipated.
Highs will stay 10 to 20 degrees below average east of the Rocky Mountains through Tuesday.
