LaGuardia Flight Cancellations: Snow Storm Grounds 300 Planes

QUEENS, NY — A swift snow storm blanketed New York Friday morning, forcing the cancellation of more than 300 flights at LaGuardia airport, which was hit with the most snow in the city.

All told, 339 flights were grounded at the East Elmhurst airport as of 10:45 a.m. on Friday morning, with dozens of others delayed, according to Flight Aware.

The cancellations came after the storm hit East Elmhurst the hardest out of any NYC neighborhood, dumping about 8.4 inches of snow in the area, National Weather Service maps show.

Nearby, Elmhurst was blanketed with as much of 6 inches of snow, while swaths of southeast Queens averaged 5.5 inches, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of other flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Newark International Airport grounded over 200 aircrafts as well, bringing the region-wide number of cancelled flights to over 750.

It's possible that snow was only part of the problem, though, since airlines have canceled hundreds of flights at New York metro airports in the past week, citing coronavirus-related labor shortages.

Snow could prove treacherous for New Yorkers commuting by car and train, too.

Forecasters urged caution on the city's untreated roads; The MTA, which reported delays, also urged extreme caution, and PATH trains were suspended system-wide after a power outage.

Other citywide adjustments were made in response to the snow: lateness is excused at the city's public schools (where there is not a snow day) and alternate side parking is suspended through Saturday.

Patch Managing Editor Kathleen Culliton contributed to this report.