US winter storm Devin snarls holiday travel as thousands of flights are scrapped

A powerful winter storm has thrown US holiday travel into chaos, forcing airlines to cancel and delay thousands of flights as snow, ice and flooding batter large parts of the country.

By 4pm US Eastern Time (21:00 GMT) on Friday, 1,581 flights “within, into or out of the” United States had been cancelled and another 6,883 delayed, according to FlightAware, the world’s largest flight-tracking data company.

The disruption comes as the US National Weather Service warned that winter storm Devin would create “hazardous travel conditions”, with heavy snow sweeping across parts of the Midwest and northeast. More than 40 million people were under winter storm warnings or advisories, while another 30 million faced flood or storm alerts in California.

In New York City, forecasters warned of up to 250mm (10 inches) of snow overnight, the heaviest snowfall expected in four years, followed by plunging temperatures as an Arctic blast moves south from Canada.

Major airports in the New York area, including John F Kennedy, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia, warned passengers to expect delays and cancellations. More than half of all disruptions nationwide were concentrated at those three hubs, FlightAware said.

JetBlue Airways was hit hardest, cancelling 225 flights on Friday alone, followed closely by Delta Air Lines with 212 cancellations. Republic Airways grounded 157 flights, American Airlines 146 and United Airlines 97.

“Due to winter storm Devin, JetBlue has cancelled approximately 350 flights today and tomorrow, primarily in the Northeast where JetBlue has a large operation,” a company spokesperson told Reuters.

While the east froze, the west was soaked. On the US West Coast, a series of winter storms delivered Southern California’s wettest Christmas season in 54 years. Even as rainfall eased around Los Angeles, the National Weather Service warned of continued risks from flash flooding and mudslides.

Emergency crews rescued more than 100 people in Los Angeles County on Thursday, including 21 pulled from stranded vehicles by helicopter, officials said.