John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City was totally shut down on Thursday, Jan. 4, due to a snowstorm hitting the East Coast.
The airport was temporarily closed due to heavy snow, ice, and harsh winds, the airport tweeted.
Weather conditions have caused JFK Airport flight disruptions. Please check with your airline to determine the status of your flight. [15]
— Kennedy Airport (@JFKairport) January 4, 2018
It comes after thousands of flights were canceled across the United States due to poor weather conditions.
The airport suspended operations shortly before 11 a.m. local time. Officials said the airport will reopen at 3 p.m. FAA officials told Reuters.
.@JFKairport runways are all closed. Flights that are already inbound are headed elsewhere, mostly to @Dulles_Airport. pic.twitter.com/rqFx9ZJ52r
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) January 4, 2018
New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, declared a state emergency for the state, WGRZ reported.
“There are two weather patterns that have collided,” Cuomo said Thursday. “It is snow plus very high gusts of wind, and that changes the situation very dramatically. Again, gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. That is a very serious situation.”
Cuomo noted it’s standard procedure to declare states of emergency during major storms.
“It basically waves regulations and gives us ability to do things we wouldn’t be able to do without legislative approval or regulatory change,” Cuomo said.
Blizzard warnings were in place along the coast from North Carolina to Maine, with the National Weather Service forecasting winds as high as 70 miles per hour (113 km per hour) that may bring down tree limbs and knock out power, Reuters reported.
More than a foot of snow was forecast for Boston and coastal areas in northern New England.
The storm is the product of a rapid plunge in barometric pressure that some weather forecasters are referring to as bombogenesis or a “bomb cyclone,” which brings fast, heavy snowfall and high winds.
The wintry weather has been blamed for at least 13 deaths over the past few days, including three fatalities in North Carolina traffic accidents and three in Texas due to cold.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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