Dreaming of a white Christmas? Expect delays in Northeast

As Americans are setting off on holiday trips this week, they may be facing dangerous winter weather in the Northeast that could delay their travel.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said in a post on the social platform X on Monday that a “storm system will continue sweeping through the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Christmas Eve with a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain making for hazardous travel.”

According to a Monday report from AccuWeather, meteorologists said Christmas Day travel problems in Northeastern cities like Boston, Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia, are set to come from a storm featuring wintry precipitation. 

AccuWeather also reported that the region’s northern portion will face heavier snow, while the south will face an icy mix, and that those traveling by road and air could face delays in travel. The outlet reported that the areas of northern New York and northern New England are facing a forecast of 3 to 6 inches of snow.

Twenty-eight flights within, leaving or coming to the U.S. had been cancelled as of late Tuesday morning, according to flight tracker FlightAware, with 2,321 being delayed.

Three New York-area airports, LaGuardia International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, had a combined number of 148 delays as of late Tuesday morning, according to FlightAware, with Boston Logan International Airport also having 30 delays.

“Due to weather, delays are expected,” Boston Logan posted on the social platform X Tuesday morning. “Passengers are advised to check with their airline on the status of their flight before coming to the airport.”

Beyond possible problems with travel due to weather, American Airlines, which has hubs in New York and Washington, D.C., briefly grounded flights Tuesday morning due to a technical issue 

In a statement emailed to The Hill around 8:50 a.m., American Airlines said “a vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning.”

“That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed,” the statement continued. “We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning.