Flights canceled in Northeast U.S. due to early spring snowstorm

The calendar currently says spring has arrived, but cargo handlers across the Northeast United States may not be too sure. More than 4,100 flights were canceled today in the Northeast region due to “Winter Storm Toby,” the fourth major storm of its kind to hit the region in a three-week span.

Airports in the area have taken to Twitter to give updates on flight cancellations. As of Wednesday afternoon, cancelled flights stacked up all across the Airports in the New York area, including Newark Liberty (EWR) 838 cancelled flights; John F. Kennedy (JFK) 590; and LaGuardia (LGA) 738. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) also reported 700 cancelled flights.

A statement on Delta Cargo’s website said, “Due to forecasted winter weather in the Northeast region of the United States,” Delta Cargo placed embargoes on flights to and out of JFK, LGA, EWR, PHL, Baltimore (BWI), Reagan National (DCA), Washington Dullas (IAD), Hartford (BDL) and Providence (PVD). However, as of 13:00 local time, an embargo on flights from Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS) had been lifted.

Freight forwarder MIQ Logistics said it closed its headquarters in Jamaica, N.Y., as well as two other operations in Hoboken, N.J., and Ashburn, Va., at noon today, due to the storm. The ports of New Jersey and New York also closed all container terminals for the day.

The storm is expected to dwindle by Thursday morning, but it is yet to be seen if flight schedules will return to normal by then. A total of nine states are subject to the effects of the storm, but New York City, Baltimore and parts of Virginia should see the worst of it – the weather forecast is predicting a foot of snowfall in those areas between now and tomorrow.

With weather like this, the old saying about early spring weather may have to be changed to “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a … lion.”