Winter Storm ‘Misery Map’: Airports See Mass Flight Delays, Cancellations

A turbulent year for air travel isn’t over yet.

Snow and rainstorms hit multiple states on both coasts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and are now heading for the Northeast, including New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Travellers are now having a difficult time getting home as major airports see mass delays and cancellations.

According to the “Misery Map,” published by FlightAware, which tracks real-time flight disruptions, there have been over 1,000 delays and more than 350 cancellations across the largest US airports as of 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday.

Here’s a look at the latest flight disruptions, and when you may expect to fly if your flight has been canceled.

The Midwest and the East Coast

The storm that first hit the Midwest is coming for the East Coast. New York City is set to see the most snow it has seen in years, since the last time it saw at least 4 inches of snow was January 2022. New Jersey and upstate New York will see similar weather conditions.

The NYC Emergency Management said in a press release that “snow is expected to develop Friday afternoon and intensify into steady, accumulating snow Friday night.” The National Weather Service has forecast 3 to 7 inches of snow with locally higher amounts possible.

According to FlightAware, JFK International Airport is experiencing 369 cancellations, with 210 on Friday alone. The situation at Newark Liberty International Airport is also not optimistic, with 244 cancellations and counting.

Based on the Misery Map, flights from airports around NYC to Chicago, Detroit, and Denver are seeing the highest number of delays and cancellations.

The West Coast

The West Coast is slowly recovering from an exceptionally wet Christmas.

Over the past two days, most residents of California have received at least one weather warning as an atmospheric river accompanied by high winds, floods, and mudslides hit the Golden State. The NWS said that this Christmas season is the wettest one Los Angeles has experienced in 54 years.

The San Francisco International Airport said that 153 flights had been delayed on Friday morning due to windy conditions. To make matters worse, the police briefly shut down Terminal 1 due to a “suspicious package,” but then reopened it without explanation. By midday, FlightAware reports that a total of 381 flights from SFO have been delayed.

According to the Misery Map, flights from the Los Angeles International Airport to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, and the East Coast are all experiencing disruptions. FlightAware counted a total of 283 delays and 41 cancellations.

The disruptions come at the end of a tough year for air travel.

High-profile plane accidents, including when an American Airlines Flight crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter, and the firing of hundreds of FAA employees by the White House DOGE office, triggered a newfound fear of flying among some Americans earlier this year.

The subsequent government shutdown also led to flying snags this year, as air traffic controllers who were left without pay called in sick, and some airports were paralyzed.