• Travel Alert February 2017: Winter Storm to Affect Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada

Travel Alert February 2017: Winter Storm to Affect Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada

by Brian Cohen

Snow street

If the northeastern United States and eastern Canada are in your travel plans over the next few days, you may want to consider delaying your travel — or, at least, keep yourself updated as to the latest information pertaining to the weather — as a significant portion of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada are preparing to experience a disruption due to winter weather.

Travel Alert February 2017: Winter Storm to Affect Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada

The temperature was 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the District of Columbia at the time this article was written; but up to three inches of snow is expected to accumulate in the northern portions of this area, as temperatures are expected to plummet to 35 degrees Fahrenheit tonight and to 24 degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow night.

Major travel delays are expected starting tomorrow, Thursday, February 9, 2017 due to the convergence of arctic air from the north and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to the south, which is expected to result in accumulations of snow of up to 12 inches from west of Allentown all the way to the maritime provinces of eastern Canada. Included in this swath of the significant accumulation of snow are New York, Boston, Hartford, Newark, Albany, Providence, Portland, Halifax, Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton and Charlottetown — and accumulations of snow are expected to be rapid at a rate of up to two inches per hour.

The remainder of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada expecting snow — though with accumulations not as significant, from a dusting to six inches — include Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Burlington, and other areas from eastern Ohio and eastern Kentucky all the way to Newfoundland and Labrador. Expect slippery conditions on roadways; windy conditions at coastal areas; downed trees and power outages — all of which are enough to potentially disrupt ground transportation.

Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations

If you are traveling to anywhere in the northeastern United States or eastern Canada over the next few days, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to this winter weather system which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip might be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.

If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary. If you are driving in any of these areas, watch out for deteriorating weather conditions and traffic problems.

Here are nine airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of this winter weather system:

Summary

Greater than 2,000 flights have already been canceled as a result of this developing winter storm; and additional cancellations — as well as significant delays — of flights are not out of the question.

As you can see, the aforementioned alerts widely vary by airline; so be sure to contact your airline or transportation provider for the latest information pertaining to your travels — if they are adversely affected — and please: travel safely.

Photograph ©2011 by Brian Cohen.

About The Author

Having traveled to greater than 50 countries on six continents and all 50 United States, Brian Cohen is a veteran frequent flyer who has been a member of frequent flyer communities for greater than 13 years; and has authored The Gate since August 2006.

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