Storm Hernando: Hundreds of flights cancelled at UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester as heavy snow and strong winds hits USA
Hundreds of flights are cancelled at major UK airports as a huge winter storm is hitting the US.
Flights from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Dublin Airport have all been impacted by the storm. The National Weather Service has warned: “A major winter storm is expected to bring heavy snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding across the Mid-Atlantic and north-east that may cause impossible travel conditions and power outages.”
Flights to JFK airport in New York, Newark airport in New Jersey and Boston airport are affected. A huge 32 flights leaving from London Heathrow to JFK on Monday, February 23 have been cancelled.
As well as departing flights, arrivals from the US destination have also been cancelled. Three direct flights from Manchester have also been impacted. In Scotland, 35 flights that depart from Edinburgh have the second leg of their flight cancelled.
Posting on X, Dublin Airport said: “Due to adverse weather (Storm Hernando) on the east coast of the US, airlines have cancelled a number of flights due to operate to/from Dublin Airport on Monday.” Dublin Airport said airlines had cancelled seven outbound and six inbound flights so far as a result of the storm.
Passengers have been advised to contact their airlines for the latest updates.
New York City issued its first blizzard warning since 2017, and it could be the biggest snowstorm to hit the region in years. Snowfall is expected to hit a rate of one to three inches per hour during the heaviest period of the storm.
Storm Hernando will stretch from Washington, D.C., all the way north to Maine, with the heart of the storm over the tristate area. Coastal New Jersey can see up to 28 inches of snow with whiteout conditions; Philadelphia may see just short of two feet of snow, with warnings of power outages and "impossible travel"; and New York City and the surrounding area may get up to 20 inches of snow.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware has recorded around 4,000 cancellations for Monday. The cancellations could climb as the storm starts and full extent of the conditions comes into sharper focus.