Thousands of passengers have been hit by widespread cancellations of flights to and from the northeast coast of the US today ahead of a severe snow storm that is expected to hit several cities including New York, Boston and Washington DC.

British Airways has cancelled all six flights to New York JFK from London Heathrow from 14.20 this afternoon and one flight that was due to leave for Newark at 17.25. A flight to Washington DC, due to depart at 14.30, has been cancelled, along with several return flilghts from both cities.

Virgin Atlantic said it has also cancelled some flights and it is urging passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling to the airport. Heathrow Airport said other airlines might also be affected.

The brunt of the storm is expected to hit the northeast today with heavy snow, reaching Washington first and New York and Boston by early afternoon.

Airlines have cancelled 279 flights at New York’s La Guardia Airport and 259 at Philadelphia International Airport, according to FlightAware, a Houston-based flight tracking service.

Forecasters expect up to 12 inches of snow to fall in New York and Washington over the next 24 hours, making it the biggest storm to hit the US capital for three years.