Purestock/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Winter storms in the Northeast have grounded and delayed thousands of flights across the United States.
At least 396 flights were canceled on Wednesday, while 1,695 flights have been delayed. Close to 2,000 have already been canceled for Thursday.
At least 10 airlines have issued travel waivers for travel to or from more than a dozen airports along the East Coast.
Wednesday’s cancellations were more than triple the average amount. The United States usually sees 100 cancellations and about 2,000 delays per day.
ABC News meteorologists predict that 50 million Americans are in the path of the winter storm. Temperatures in the Northeast, which have been unseasonably high, are expected to plummet overnight.
Heavy snow is expected to hit Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and upstate New York by early Thursday morning. Snowfall rates could reach half an inch per hour between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.
As of Wednesday evening, blizzard warnings had been issued for parts of Long Island, New York, and southeast Massachusetts. The storm is expected to clear out by Friday morning.
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