More and more canceled flights are piling up for Christmas Eve in the United States.
Snow, rain, ice, wind, and freezing temperatures are disrupting air travel plans across the United States.
Airlines have canceled more than 2,200 flights scheduled for Thursday through 4:30 p.m. Miami time and proactively canceled more than 1,660 flights for Friday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
More than 6,500 flights were delayed on Thursday, according to FlightAware data.
The biggest cancellations on Thursday were at the Chicago and Denver airports, according to FlightAware data. Friday’s cancellations are highest in Detroit, followed by New York’s LaGuardia as the storm’s impacts move east.
At one point Thursday, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport experienced delays averaging 159 minutes — nearly three hours — due to snow and ice, according to an advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration. .
Temperatures at the airport dropped to -11°C at 3:00 p.m. local time. The National Weather Service reported the presence of snow and freezing fog.
The FAA reported that planes departing from the Dallas Love, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Minneapolis airports must be sprayed with deicing fluid to travel safely.
In the busy New York area, the FAA warned that flights from Newark should expect delays due to visibility problems.
The region’s three large airports are warning travelers that the incoming winter weather front may disrupt their travels.
“Flight activity at #LaGuardiaAirport may be disrupted by heavy rain and high winds later today and Friday. Travelers, please confirm the status of your flights with your airline before proceeding to the airport,” LaGuardia Airport posted on Twitter. John F. Kennedy and Newark airports also posted similar notices.