Image via NOAA
Winter Storm Hektor brought a messy start to the week to the eastern half of the United States on Monday, with snow, rain and a wintry mix in some places disrupting travel as far west as St. Louis.
The storm produced snow and freezing rain in parts of the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and Northeast on Monday morning, making for a rough commute on the roads. As Weather.com's Jon Erdman and Chris Dolce point out, "it doesn't take a lot of freezing rain to produce significant impacts on roads."
"Even a little freezing drizzle on untreated roads can make travel dangerous."
But icy conditions also impacted air travel in the Northeast and Midwest on Monday, with Newark Liberty International Airport canceling 98 flights as of 10:30 a.m. ET, according to FlightAware.com. Nearby LaGuardia airport had also reported 64 cancellations by that time.
Meanwhile, wintry weather in the Midwest has led to 82 delays and 38 cancellations at Chicago O'Hare International Airport as of 10:30 a.m. ET on Monday.
In all, FlightAware.com reports 954 total flight delays and 355 canceled flights into, out or within the U.S. as of this writing.
While the roads are likely to improve by midday in many areas as sleet gives way to cold rain and the storm makes its way offshore, air travelers could continue to experience lengthy delays, especially in the north and west parts of these regions, where plunging temperatures Monday night could make for slick conditions.
With frigid temperatures replacing Winter Storm Hektor on Monday night, travelers across the eastern U.S. should be wary of potential refreeze overnight and into Tuesday morning.
Fortunately, temperatures are forecasted to rise by the end of the week, providing many travelers with a much-needed break from the bitter cold that has enveloped these regions of late.
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