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Historic winter storm threatens much of U.S., disrupts travel
A massive winter storm stretching more than 2,300 miles is sweeping across the United States, placing more than 240 million people in 40 states at risk of snow, ice, and dangerously cold temperatures, forecasters said.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Though Central Florida isn't in the direct path of a winter storm expected this weekend, Orlando International Airport is setting up some precautions for travelers.
While Florida stays on the warm side with highs near 80° Saturday and in the 70s on Sunday, a potentially significant winter storm is setting up to disrupt travel across much of the Southeast late Saturday into Sunday. Impacts could linger into Monday.
What we know:
A massive winter storm stretching more than 2,300 miles is sweeping across the United States, placing more than 240 million people in 40 states at risk of snow, ice, and dangerously cold temperatures, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service reported scattered snow squalls will create dangerous travel from the interior Northeast to northern/central New England through Friday and dangerously cold Arctic air will spill out over the Great Plains and Eastern U.S. through the weekend.
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Winter storm forecast: 2,000-mile storm to impact southern U.S.
A massive 2,000-mile winter storm is expected to impact millions across the southern United States, bringing with it rain, snow, ice, and sleet. Travel impacts to flights are likely, officials say. Several states have issued emergency declarations ahead of the storm.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is offering measures to make passengers as comfortable as possible while they await their flights.
The airport's concessions team is notified about increased traffic and will be ready with appropriate staffing, supplies and materials. In addition, janitorial services are prepared for more frequent cleaning and sanitation around the terminal, an airport spokesperson said.
What the passengers say
What they're saying:
Matt Harman and his family are headed home to Detroit, but the severe weather has other plans for how much time they spend at the Orlando International Airport as they wait for a delayed plane.
"It's frustrating because we could have stayed longer with what we were doing if we would have known before we had left," Harman shared.
Dallas native Narissa Flores is going on a cruise. She planned to leave Dallas late in the evening but decided to bump it up to miss the severe weather.
"Right now my parents are prepping for the bad weather. Everywhere, every store is sold out of water, eggs, bread, milk, like it was completely empty," Flores said.
As Flores' family prepares for bad weather, New York native Craig Nepolitan is making sure he and his wife don’t get stuck in Orlando after spending the weekend at Disney.
"We booked this way before the storm and so, right now, we ended up booking a hotel for Monday night just in case because we were supposed to fly out on Monday night." Neapolitan told FOX 35 News.
Traveling? Here's what areas are affected by the winter storm
What To Expect:
If you’re flying out of Orlando on Sunday and Monday, or potentially through Tuesday, the weather in Central Florida won’t be the issue. However, your destination or connection might be.
Major hubs, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Memphis, Louisville, Raleigh, Durham, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York are all in the zone for snow or ice.
Ice is especially disruptive for aviation, and southern airports have limited equipment and experience handling significant winter weather.
The heaviest snow across the Southern Plains is expected between Interstates 70 and 40, while icing is the primary concern across Interstates 40, 20 and even parts of Interstate 10 in the Southeast, FOX Weather said.
When shouldn't you fly?
Sunday and Monday are the highest risk days for flight delays and cancellations, particularly for early morning departures and connecting flights through Southern hubs.
Even after the storm clears, lingering power outages are possible if ice accumulations reach one to three inches, which can bring down trees and power lines and complicate travel time recovery.
According to the Aviation Weather Center, flights impacted by the winter storm are expected to last through Monday, Jan. 26. Impacts can include moderate to greater turbulence, icing impacting takeoff and low visibility in heavy snow, freezing rain and sleet.
Read more: What to do if your flight gets canceled due to winter storms
Major airlines have issued travel waivers for flights this weekend across most of the eastern two-thirds of the country ahead of the winter storm. American, Delta, United and Southwest, have all issued expansive travel waivers for dozens of airports across the country beginning Friday. JetBlue and Spirit have issued similar waivers. Hundreds of flight cancellations are expected this weekend.
What's next:
More information about the winter storm can be found on FOX35orlando.com/weather.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from a spokesperson from Orlando International Airport.