Rough air travel ahead: Snow from New England to Texas and Florida. Here’s what to do now.

Air travel is off to a smooth start this long weekend, but that’s likely to change — first from snow in the Northeast then in the Deep South thanks to a second winter storm, this one a potential whopper now brewing off the Texas coast.

First, wintry weather could snarl air traffic in the Northeast and New England on Sunday.

The second of a one-two punch to air travel could then come Monday, where airports in the Deep South are already warning another blast of wintry conditions could wreak havoc in parts of the country that seldom see snow.

That includes the possibility of accumulating snow stretching from Texas along the Gulf Coast into northern Florida and — perhaps most ominously for flyers — north across megahubs in Atlanta and Charlotte by Tuesday.

Weekend flight cancellations and delays likely

For now, travelers have not yet seen many flight delays or cancellations.

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However, the fast-moving winter storm forecast for Sunday threatens to dump snow on portions of the New York metropolitan area, New England and the surrounding region, the National Weather Service warned — with up to a half-foot of accumulation expected inland.

Here is the latest briefing on the potential winter storm for later this weekend. For the full briefing, click the link here : https://t.co/XOyNs6MCfJ
Arctic air with sub zero windchills arrives after the storm departs for the first half of next week !! pic.twitter.com/RFYlJ2XP30

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) January 18, 2025

Most major U.S. airlines have now issued travel advisories for the next couple of days, which cover many of the biggest Northeast hubs, from the three large airports in the New York City area, to Boston, Philadelphia the Washington, D.C. region.

Those waivers give travelers extra flexibility to make free ticket changes, even when flying on an ultra-restrictive ticket.

Northeast winter weather

Travelers should plan for disruptions getting to or from LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and especially John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Friday.

Those airports’ governing body urged travelers to check with their airline and build in extra time getting to the airport — particularly at JFK, amid ongoing construction at the region’s largest hub.

DC region marred by bitter cold

Making matters worse: Travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) had to contend with an outage to its heating system in the terminals, leading to plunging temperatures inside as travelers descended upon the city — itself bracing for bitter cold temperatures — ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Monday.

Our maintenance team is working through the night to repair an airport-wide heating system outage. Indoor temperatures by Saturday morning could drop to colder than normal temperatures, but we will remain open. Airlines, TSA and shopping and dining will operate at their normal… pic.twitter.com/3qpVgwbI8V

— Reagan Airport (@Reagan_Airport) January 18, 2025

More winter weather possible next week
While this weekend’s winter storm is likely to disrupt air travel Sunday and Monday, parts of the Deep South are already planning for the possibility of a winter storm that could bring travel to a standstill. 

The National Weather Service warned of “increasing potential” for a storm that could sweep across portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia — perhaps bringing “accumulating snow and ice. That could even include cities like Houston, New Orleans and Tallahassee, Florida, that rarely see wintry weather.

In addition to the winter storm in the Northeast, another winter storm may develop and impact much of the Deep South early next week. Here is our first Key Message about that potential winter storm. pic.twitter.com/2AUuq4TY7z

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 17, 2025

United Airlines, which operates a major hub at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), has already issued an additional travel waiver for next week’s developing storm, covering a slew of southern airports, including its Houston base.

Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) likewise took to social media to note its preparations ahead of the impending storm.

❄️ Winter weather at AUS means teamwork, preparation, & coordination!