A huge storm has caused US airlines and airports in the north-east to cancel or delay almost 6,500 flights, as States declare national emergencies.

The National Weather Service (NWS) declared a national emergency of its own yesterday as roads, rail, mass transit and subway services were all impacted, with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and other areas badly affected by the severe weather conditions and 55mph winds.

The bad news is that the storm is expected to hang around until at least New York time this afternoon (January 27) and the National Weather Service is predicting that it could well increase in intensity before it dies down.

Yesterday, New York Mayor de Blasio held a press conference where he emphasized that New Yorkers should not underestimate the severity of this event and that ‘this isn’t just any storm”. [Click here to access the video of that press conference: http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/063-15/mayor-de-blasio-delivers-on-severe-winter-storm].

A total of around 4,000 flights were cancelled yesterday, with another 1,347 delayed, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks all commercial aviation services in more than 45 countries.

Today’s likely scenario is also looking bad, with New York’s LaGuardia Airport expected to grind to a standstill and New York JFK to be heavily impacted by cancellations, along with Boston Logan Airport.

Snow ploughs are out in major force in New York.

‘LIFE THREATENING BLIZZARD CONDITIONS…’

LaGuardia was hit particularly hard yesterday, with some 685 cancellations and 58 delays, but other airports have also been severely affected, including those serving east coast destinations, such as Orlando where there were 70 flight cancellations.

In the last major bulletin issued at 22.00 local time by the Maryland-based NWS, its Weather Prediction Center warned of ‘crippling snowfall mounts’ in some areas and ‘life threatening blizzard conditions to much of the north-east, in what is clearly a very serious event.

In its statement it says blizzard warnings are in effect for the coastal areas of New Jersey northward through Maine, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, the Mid Atlantic states, plus ‘portions of the southern Appalachians in Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.

Coastal flood warnings have also been issued ‘from Delaware to the coast of Maine’. [See here for the latest updates at: http://www.weather.gov/]. New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo’s office has also banned all vehicles from using all roads in 13 counties, to allow emergency services free access to do their work.

Delta Air Lines cancelled more than 700 flights yesterday and another 900 in advance of today, with American Airlines writing off a further 600 yesterday and Southwest Airlines and Jetblue Airways scratching 400 more services between them. All are reporting that they are expecting to cancel similar numbers of flights today.