Jonas Ruins Weekend Travel Plans
Impacting Travel Amy Coyne Bredeson January 24, 2016
TravelPulse file photo
The record-breaking winter storm that buried much of the East Coast and closed down some of the nation’s largest cities put a huge damper on travel plans over the weekend, dumping more than three feet of snow in some areas, CNN reported.
The storm led to almost 9,000 flight cancellations Saturday and Sunday, according to FlightAware. The site said almost 700 flights have already been canceled for Monday.
Douglas Andrews of Austin, TX, was supposed to be heading to Washington on Saturday morning when he posted this on his Facebook page: “Chose a fan-flipping-tastic weekend to fly home. Flight was canceled twice and I still don't know when I'll be getting there.”
Drivers didn’t have it any easier. Automobile crashes caused seven miles of traffic involving about 500 vehicles Friday night on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a state police spokeswoman told CNN.
Drivers in central Kentucky were stranded along a 35-mile stretch of Interstate 75 for as many as 19 hours Friday and Saturday, CNN reported.
READ MORE: Winter Storm Wallops Eastern US
Between 150 and 200 tractor trailers became stranded on Interstate 77 in West Virginia due to heavy snowfall on Friday night, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a travel ban in New York City and Long Island on Saturday, shutting down roads and some train service, New York Daily News reported. The ban was lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday.
In New Jersey, flooding is still a big concern. Forecasters predicted more widespread flooding would occur Sunday, CNN said.
READ MORE: Jonas Forces Extra Day at Sea for Cruisers
Mass transit services were suspended in Washington and Baltimore for the weekend, CNN said. Amtrak service to and from the East Coast was modified.
Authorities in Baltimore have lifted the ban on travel, with some restrictions, according to The Washington Times.
Maija Doggett had this to say about the storm on her Facebook page on Thursday evening:
"Storm Jonas has ruined my weekend plans — I was going to travel to Raleigh with Diva and my teammates for some awesome flyball racing! But the tournament is canceled and we're staying home. Enough feeling sorry for myself, though. I hope everyone on the East Coast makes it through this storm OK!"
TravelPulse founder and CEO Mark Murphy joined CNN anchor Jake Tapper to discuss when we can expect travel to get back to normal.
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