More than 3,000 flights cancelled in US amid heavy snow, rain and icy winds

Ahead of Christmas holidays, more than 2,270 US flights were cancelled on Thursday and another 1,000 flights scheduled for Friday have also been scrapped due to heavy snow, rain and freezing temperatures, according to a CNN report.

US President Joe Biden held a press conference to alert citizens about the extreme weather that was sweeping across the country.

The cold wave across the United States has also disrupted bus and Amtrak passenger train services.

What forecasters described as a once-in-a-generation storm sent temperatures plunging across the middle of the United States on Thursday, prompting blizzard warnings and disrupting thousands of flights during one of the busiest travel weeks. At least three people in Kansas and two in Oklahoma were killed in vehicle crashes that appeared to be related to the storm, according to a Washington Post report..

The impacts are being felt hardest in Chicago and Denver, where around a quarter of arrivals and departures — hundreds of flights at each airport — were cancelled on Thursday, FlightAware data show.

At one point on Thursday, at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, delays averaging 159 minutes were being caused by snow and ice, according to a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Temperatures at the O’Hare dropped to -13 Celsius around 5 p.m. local time. The National Weather Service reported snow and freezing fog.

The FAA said departing aircraft at Dallas Love, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Minneapolis airports require spraying of de-icing fluid for safe travel, according to the CNN report.

Meanwhile, many airlines have issued weather waivers allowing travellers to change their itineraries without penalty during a short window.

For those whose flights are still scheduled to depart, the Transportation Security Administration is recommending that passengers arrive at the airport earlier than usual.

Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus service, issued a service alert on Thursday warning customers that those travelling in the Midwest over the next two days may have their trips delayed or cancelled altogether.

Amtrak has also been forced to delay or cancel passenger service for some lines in the Midwest and Northeast.

In its notice, Amtrak said “customers with reservations on trains that are being modified will typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day”, CNN reported.