JFK, LaGuardia Close In Powerful Snowstorm

QUEENS, NY -- Harsh winds and white-out conditions led to thousands of flights cancellations and closed both John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports after the "Bomb Cyclone" snowstorm hit New York City on Thursday.

JFK and LaGuradia were both officially closed by Thursday afternoon due to the powerful snowstorm, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. JFK closed at around 11 a.m. and was expected to reopen by 8 p.m. Thursday evening. LaGuardia closed at 2:30 p.m. and was expected to reopen by 6 p.m., according to the FAA.

Flights to both airports were suspended Thursday morning after the snowstorm's high winds and heavy snow significantly reduced visibility, according to the airports Twitter accounts. JFK also suspended its AirTrain service.

More than 3,800 flights were cancelled before 11 a.m. on Thursday as a result of the winter snowstorm spanning the East Coast. Of those, over 500 were at JFK and more than 650 at LaGuardia, according to FlightAware, a live flight tracking website.

Newark Liberty International Airport saw the most flights cancelled, with nearly 1,000 before 2 p.m. on Thursday. The airport warned flyers in a tweet that more than 70 percent of its flights for Thursday would be cancelled.

LaGuardia airport expected to cancel more than 90 percent of its flights on Thursday, while at least 20 percent at JFK were also expected to be cancelled.

The possibility of weather-related cancellations could extend into Friday. All travelers are urged to check with their carriers for more information before heading to the airports, according to NYC Emergency Management.

Lead photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.