AER LINGUS HAS cancelled four flights today due to extreme weather in the US.
The flights affected are:
The flights are cancelled as the northeast of America braces for a rare “bomb cyclone” or “bombogenesis” blizzard, which will bring huge accumulations of snow today.
The company says:
“We currently plan to operate all other flights to and from North America, however, any guests planning to travel to/from New York or Newark today may postpone their travel for up to seven days, free-of-charge, if they wish to do so.
Guests who wish to re-book to another day of travel (up to and including 11 January) may do so by using the ‘manage trip’ section of our website.
“We will update guests via our website, SMS messaging and our social media channels should the situation change.
We advise guests planning to travel on Aer Lingus flights to or from the northeast of the United States today to please check the status of their flight before departing for the airport.
“We apologise sincerely for this schedule disruption which is due to circumstances beyond our control.”
The blizzard is described as a “winter hurricane”. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US:
“Bombogenesis, a popular term used by meteorologists, occurs when a midlatitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, dropping at least 24 millibars over 24 hours. A millibar measures atmospheric pressure. This can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters. The formation of this rapidly strengthening weather system is a process called bombogenesis, which creates what is known as a bomb cyclone.”
Wind gusts of 50 mph to 60 mph, strong enough to cause downed trees and power lines, are predicted in places where the National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings. They include the Delmarva Peninsula, which includes parts of Delaware, Virginia and Maryland; coastal New Jersey; eastern Long Island, New York; and coastal eastern New England.
Winter storm warnings stretched as far south as South Carolina on Wednesday night, but National Weather Service Meteorologist Dan Peterson said the storm should be over by early today in the southern states. For most of today, he said, the storm will impact the Northeast, with Boston possibly getting up to 14 inches of snow. The storm will then be followed by a wave of bracing cold.
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo urged people in the state to stay at home today, while Virginia has declared a state of emergency. There has even been snowfall in Florida.
The storm has resulted in thousands of canceled flights at major airports such as Boston’s Logan International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport and disrupted the schedules at regional airports.
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