Update: February 20, 2019 at 6:25 a.m. ET
As Winter Storm Petra moves into the Mid-Atlantic region early Wednesday, Weather.com forecasters believe the snow and ice associated with the weather system will cause slow morning commutes in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metro areas.
The storm will spread further into the Northeast throughout Wednesday.
There are numerous winter weather alerts associated with #Petra in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic pic.twitter.com/TYNyWmkIkG
— Your Weather Today (@YourWxDaily) February 20, 2019
Winter Storm #Petra will bring snow or ice to at least 30 states this week pic.twitter.com/43QqRLKLRY
— Your Weather Today (@YourWxDaily) February 20, 2019
As for the impact of Winter Storm Petra on the airline industry, FlightAware.com is reporting over 1,150 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were already canceled Wednesday morning and another 180-plus flights were delayed.
Officials in impacted areas and regions expecting snow accumulation continue to ask travelers to contact their airlines to check on the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
Travelers scheduled to fly to the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast on the United States this week could be dealing with a mix of snow and ice as Winter Storm Petra begins to impact travel.
According to Weather.com, the storm system started dumping snow on New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri and Iowa Tuesday as it continued to move toward the Northeast.
On Wednesday, Winter Storm Petra will bring snow across the upper Midwest before hitting Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., possibly leaving the impacted regions under several inches of snow.
Then there’s Winter Storm #Petra. Snow and ice from the Plains to the east coast. pic.twitter.com/xtnJnEPvmw
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) February 19, 2019
Then it’s onto the northeast! Snow, ice, rain, wind. #dcwx #nywx #mewx pic.twitter.com/vLJYbzVLcb
— Mike Bettes (@mikebettes) February 19, 2019
The weather system will then move up the East coast Wednesday night toward New England where Boston and other metropolitan areas are preparing for a small accumulation.
As a result of the forecasted storm and its impact on critical destinations in the U.S., airlines have started issuing travel advisories and waiving change fees, as FlightAware.com is reporting at 4:30 p.m. ET that over 350 flights have already been canceled for Wednesday.
Cities most impacted by the cancellations include Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington D.C. and more.
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have issued travel advisories for 11 impacted airports Wednesday, while United Airlines has waived change fees for passengers scheduled to fly to or from over 50 affected airports in the Great Plains, Mid Atlantic, Great Lakes and Northeast.
Other carriers such as Southwest and JetBlue have also started issuing travel advisories. All passengers are being asked to call their airlines to ensure their flights aren’t impacted before heading to the airport over the next several days.