Thousands of flights have been cancelled as a winter storm sweeps the US.

Nearly 1,500 flights have been cancelled today and more than 2,300 were cancelled yesterday, according to FlightAware.com. Thousands more flights were delayed.

Chicago O’Hare and airports in New York were badly affected, with New York’s JFK airport temporarily closed for snow removal.

Boston’s Logan Airport was forced to shut overnight and is expected to stay closed until midday local time.

Governors in New York and New Jersey have declared a state of emergency, urging people to stay indoors.

In New York City, contingency plans are in effect with NY governor Andrew Cuomo warning that some highways may have to close and the National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Watch for New York Harbor and South Shore Back Bays of Long Island.

Yesterday, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island and parts of Massachusetts.

The forecast was for strong winds of up to 45 miles per hour, dumping as much as 14 inches of snow.

According to the blizzard warning, visibility on Long Island could be down to less than a quarter mile.

“Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibility are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel,” said the warning.

Flight delays had a knock-on effect at airports nationwide with some delays occurring at airports as far apart as the West Coast and Florida.

Friday, January 3, 2014