Reading under a blanket of snow... - Storms in New England

The New York Times, January 2, 2014, 6:06 pm Comment

From Chicago to Boston, Winter Storm Creates Havoc for Travelers

By JENNIFER PRESTON

FlightAware, an online flight-tracking service, shows the percentage of delays and cancellations across the country in red on its MiseryMap in real time.

Updated, Friday, 8:58 a.m. It’s still snowing along most of the East Coast. And that is not good news for travelers after a fierce winter storm brought bitter cold, strong winds and dumped more than two feet in parts of New England overnight, closing airports and major highways.

In New York, JFK International Airport was shut down Friday morning due to low visibility. Flights are not expected to resume at Boston’s Logan airport, which got more than 14 inches of snow, until later today. Philadelphia’s airport officials reported significant delays. Airline cancellations and delays mounted on Friday across the country, adding to the 2,100 airline cancellations and 6,000 delays on Thursday, according to FlightAware’sonline, real-time interactive map.

Amtrak’s service in the Northeast, between Boston and Washington, D.C. was sharply reduced. Peter Pan canceled bus service between New York and Boston. And, governors from Massachusetts to New Jersey were urging people to stay off the roads. For the New York City metropolitan area, my colleague, Andy Newman, is providing the latest updates on subway, bus, commuter rail and road information, along with closures.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York declared a state of emergency and ordered several major highways shut overnight, including the Long Island Expressway in Suffolk County and Nassau County. The road was re-opened around 8 a.m.

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey also declared a state of emergency and closed state offices on Friday.