Winter Storm Niko: One killed, over 3000 flights cancelled
Winter Storm Niko has begun to wreak havoc over the residents of the Northeast United States. Right from New York City to Pennsylvania, Niko has been giving heavy rain and snow over several parts. The fierceness of this snow storm had been anticipated earlier and it has turned out right what was expected from it.
Due to the storm, at least 3000 flights have been cancelled across major cities of the New York City have been cancelled. Out of these, around 2000 of them were originating from airports of NYC including the JFK Airport, LaGuardia, and Newark.
Not only this, the rail road transport is also running with massive delays. The declaration of snow emergencies is into place for major Northeast metro areas. At least one person is dead in the upper east side of New York as the man crashed through a glass plate window after slipping.
While Philadelphia had declared snow emergency, it was lifted up yesterday. People in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have been asked to stay at home as much as possible. In New Jersey, at least 300 crashes have been reported.
Over 2200 flights cancelled as Winter Storm Niko nears Northeast US
Heavy snow is in store for most of the Northeastern United States. The biggest snowstorm of this winter, Niko has already begun to wreak havoc over the region. The most affected due to the prevailing winter storm is air travel.
As per reports, more than 2300 flights across New York City, Boston New England and Philadelphia have already been cancelled. Airlines including Delta, American, United and Southwest have made preps before the storm thus very few flights will be running across the region.
Not only this, other flights which are likely to take off may get severely delayed due to slippery runways. Along with this, some effect is also likely to be felt at the Baltimore-Washington metro area. However, the situation will not become as bad as in the northern region.
Airlines have also said that a quick restart will soon take place as the snow clears from taxiways and runways. As of now, 2293 flights have been cancelled and the number is likely to increase as Niko gets near. In view of the cancellation, the changing fees have been waived by most big airlines.
Due to Winter Storm Niko, heavy snow is forecast to lash much of the Interstate 95 Northeast corridor on Wednesday night until Thursday. As per the forecasters, most of the areas are likely to accumulate more than half a foot of snow in a short time.
Winter storm watch has been issued by the National Weather Service from Massachusetts through Northern Maryland and West Virginia. On Thursday, snow could be heavy at farther north from eastern Pennsylvania and the New York City Tri-State area into New England. Gusty and strong winds are also expected in the Northeast.
The snowy weather will make the Thursday morning commute difficult across some of the major cities of United States like Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, possibly Baltimore and Washington D.C.
Though the exact track and forward speed of the snow storm are still uncertain but a band of snow is also expected to engulf parts of the central Plains on Wednesday before reaching the East.
Although Winter Storm Niko is not expected to be a very destructive Northeast storm, it will certainly make travel problematic as flight delays are expected.
Moreover, as per the National Weather Service, prior reaching New York City, the region is likely to witness temperatures soaring at 60°F on Wednesday.
Furthermore, according to NOAA's ACIS database, tracing back from 1949-1950, this has been the third least snowy weather on record for the city. Though, Philadelphia has seen more than an inch of snow last month, between January 5 and 7, during Winter Storm Helena.
But, New York, the city has failed to witness any snow since January 15, while Boston has received only seen 1.4 inches of snow since January 8.
Image Credit: usatoday
