Severe weather in New York causes flight cancellations and major travel delays

NEW YORK — Heavy rain and strong winds pounded parts of New York City on Thursday, disrupting travel plans ahead of what was expected to be a mild Memorial Day weekend.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Manhattan, Staten Island and Brooklyn, as well as parts of Queens and the Bronx until 10:45 a.m., but rain and thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon.

Shortly before 10 a.m., freelance journalist Janet Wu shared a video on X of the “crazy thunderstorms” hitting Midtown Manhattan.

The extreme weather also affected flights to and from all airports in the region, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a ground stop for the entire area.

Although all ground shutdown measures have since been lifted, their impact will likely be felt throughout the day.

As of 2 p.m., more than 120 flights at three of the nation’s busiest airports — Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark — had been canceled due to the severe weather, according to data compiled by FlightAware.

Significant delays affecting at least 1,300 flights were also reported: 432 flight delays at JFK, 543 at LaGuardia and 390 at Newark.

According to the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center, LaGuardia Airport continued to experience about 97 minutes of ground delays Thursday afternoon.

The agency urges all passengers to check with their airlines to see if their flights have been affected.