Thousands of US flights disrupted as winter storm looms

Thousands of flights across the US have been cancelled or delayed as the North East braces for a severe winter storm during the peak holiday travel season.

As of Friday afternoon, nearly 1,500 flights across the US had been cancelled and 5,400 had been delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

The most affected airports are John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty, and LaGuardia, which serve the New York area. Philadelphia, Detroit, and Toronto, Canada, also are impacted.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from 16:00 local time on Friday through 13:00 on Saturday, with as much as 9 inches (23cm) of snow expected in New York and southern Connecticut.

So far, JetBlue Airways has cancelled 227 flights, and Delta Air Lines is cancelling 213. Republic and Southwest have cancelled 157 and 146 flights, respectively. Approximately 100 flights by American and United also are not flying today.

On social media, airports are warning travellers to check with their airline to determine the status of their flights.

The heaviest snow will fall between 18:00 and midnight. Drivers are warned of hazardous conditions and advised to bring an emergency supply kit.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said people should avoid unnecessary trips, but if they had to travel, they should "plan ahead, take it slow, and leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go safely".

There were similar warnings from the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut.

This will be the second significant snowfall of the season for New York City, which was blanketed with several inches settling on 14 December.

Mayor Eric Adams asked people who drove to work on Friday to leave early or consider taking public transport home.

Snow ploughs have been deployed and will begin clearing streets once two inches have accumulated.