“Four’easter” to hit East Coast, cancels dozens of local flights

Southwest Florida International Airport will deal with canceled flights due to the upcoming nor’easter on Wednesday.

WINK News reporter Jessica Alpern was live at RSW as people were handling canceled incoming and departing flights.

For an active list of canceled and delayed flights, visit the RSW website here. 

Spring nor’easter targets Northeast with heavy snow, winds

Spring may have sprung on the calendar, but it’s still winter on the East Coast. The first round of snow fell late Tuesday from the Washington, D.C., area north. But the real storm will start to fall around 8 a.m. in the Washington area, hitting Philadelphia around 10 a.m.-noon and New York City between noon and 3 p.m.

CBS News weather producer David Parkinson says it’s going to be wet, heavy snow, but there will be a cutoff north of the Interstate 95 corridor, and the major cities could be spared the worst. Parkinson estimates New York City and Washington could get around 3 inches of snow and Philadelphia could see 6 inches. But the Washington suburbs could get 6-12 inches as could the New York and Philadelphia suburbs.

Boston, already battered by the previous nor’easters, will still be dealing with snow Thursday morning. The city could expect anywhere from 3-6 inches with Massachusetts’ south shore and Rhode Island getting an estimated 6-12 inches.

8:58 a.m. ET: The nor’easter was disrupting travel plans Wednesday morning. Amtrak canceled more than 80 trains and modified some routes along the East Coast.

More than 3,500 flights were cancelled before 9 a.m., and nearly 400 were delayed. This has been the worst March for cancellations in five years.

CBS News correspondent Don Dahler reports from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where more than 65 percent of flights were canceled, that people who live on the East Coast and planned on traveling Wednesday should rethink those plans.

With the heavy snow that’s expected to come down, crews will undoubtedly have trouble keeping planes de-iced and runways clear. Most airlines preemptively canceled flights to and from East Coast hubs.

Top U.S. carriers Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United are waiving fees to change trips.

Airlines and airports hope these proactive measures will help limit disruptions and get travelers back in the air as soon as possible.

Officials were also warning people to stay off the roads.