Winter Storm Fern rages across US, canceling near-record flights — and leaving more than 1M without power

Winter Storm Fern pummeled 34 states in snow and ice on Sunday, cancelling more than 11,000 flights and leaving more than a million without power — with winter warnings still on for Monday.

As snow and sleet fell across more than two-thirds of the nation, more than 11,601 flight cancellations were reported by Sunday evening, according to the FlightAware tracking site.       

The total quickly approached the record 12,143 cancellations that were seen on March 30, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. 

The weather and plummet in temperatures also turned deadly, with at least two men in Louisiana dying from hypothermia in connection with the storm, according to the state’s Department of Health.  

It brings the total deaths caused by the storm system up to seven after five New Yorkers were found dead on Saturday due to the sheer cold before the snow even fell.  

Both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines were forced to cancel nearly half of their flights on Sunday, with both companies calling off more than 1,400 trips each.

New York’s LaGuardia Airport has seen 436 of its outgoing flights cancelled, with the city’s JFK International Airport cancelling 462 trips out of the Big Apple. 

Newark Liberty in New Jersey has canceled 84% of its flights, with 444 outgoing trips called off.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was the hardest hit air hub, with 597 flights canceled. 

The brutal snowfall also triggered the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC to cancel all of its 820 flights scheduled to arrive and depart from the airport. 

Follow The Post’s live coverage on Winter Storm Fern

The cancellations even extended far west, with 92 outgoing flights scrapped at LAX, FlightAware reported. 

Along with the cancellations, 16,009 delays were also reported for flights coming into and leaving the US, according to FlightAware.

The powerful storm also brought major blackouts to the affected areas, with more than 1 million customers left without electricity on Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. 

Tennessee alone had more than 300,000 reports of outages, with both Mississippi and Louisiana seeing more than 140,000 customers without power.       

Other states experiencing mass power outages included Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, West Virginia and Alabama. 

The outages triggered Energy Secretary Chris Wright to issue emergency orders for Texas and mid-Atlantic grid operators to keep power plants running throughout Winter Storm Fern’s rampage. 

“As Winter Storm Fern brings extreme cold and dangerous conditions to the Mid-Atlantic, maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM region is non-negotiable,” Wright said in a statement.

At least 18 states have declared states of emergency due to the storm, with 12 states activating National Guard Troops to help, according to the National Guard Bureau chief general Steven Nordhaus.  

More than 190 million Americans remain under Winter Weather Alerts as the storm is expected to deliver heavy snow and ice from Arizona to Maine.

The National Weather Service’s latest forecast called for heavy snow from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, including up to 18 inches in New England by midday Monday. 

The National Weather Service warned that the final total could be as much as 14 inches in New York City by Monday, the highest snow total since 2021.

While a majority of the nation contends with the snow and freezing weather, those down in Florida enjoyed record heat on Sunday. 

Orlando hit 86 degrees, matching the record set in 2023, with residents of Tampa Bay all too happy to skip the snowstorms up north.  

Joan, a 69-year-old Florida transplant from her native northern New Jersey, told The Post she felt “relieved” to not be dealing with the weather nightmare her old neighbors are facing. 

“I see the weather going on there and in New York and I do not miss it one bit,” Joan, clad in a white tank top and jean shorts, told The Post as she leisurely strolled a boat-filled pier while sipping Chardonnay from a to-go cup. 

The warmth, however, won’t last, with Central Florida issuing a freeze watch as temperatures are expected to plummet following rain on Monday, with Tuesday expected to bring temperatures in the mid 30s.

Additional reporting by Georgia Worrell