Winter storm upends U.S. travel as airlines cancel thousands of flights
A powerful winter storm sweeping across large parts of the United States disrupted travel on Monday, with airlines canceling thousands of flights and delaying hundreds more as snow and freezing rain hit major corridors.
A widespread winter storm continued to snarl transportation across the United States on Monday, January 26, 2026, forcing airlines to cancel thousands of flights and leaving travelers scrambling for alternate plans.
Flight-tracking data showed large-scale disruption early Monday as heavy snow and freezing rain impacted key hubs along the East Coast and into the Mid-Atlantic. Airlines issued travel waivers across multiple cities while airports worked through de-icing backlogs and intermittent ground delays.
A Reuters report said roughly 3,900 flights were canceled and more than 1,500 were delayed as of early Monday, following more than 11,000 cancellations on Sunday—described as the highest daily total since the pandemic. Aviation analytics firm Cirium also estimated that close to 14% of scheduled flights had been canceled by the morning. The National Weather Service warned that a low-pressure system near New England would move east, continuing to produce heavy snow in parts of the Northeast and freezing rain across sections of the Mid-Atlantic, while snow also threatened the Appalachian region and rain spread along parts of the Southeast coast as a cold front moved offshore.
The storm’s reach extended beyond aviation. Power outages and hazardous road conditions were reported across a broad swath of states, and some rail routes were also affected as carriers adjusted operations for safety.
Even as crews pushed to restore normal operations, forecasters cautioned that lingering wintry precipitation and bitter cold could keep travel conditions unstable into the start of the week, with knock-on effects likely for schedules and staffing.