Winter Storm Stella is already affecting NYC flights

If you were planning to fly out of New York City in the next 48 hours, you may have to rethink those plans: Thanks to Winter Storm Stella, the weather event that’s soon to pummel much of the East Coast (including NYC) with snow, hundreds of flights out of the city’s three major airports are already canceled.

The New York Post reports that more than 450 flights in and out of John F. Kennedy International Airport have been called off, along with 522 at LaGuardia airport, and a whopping 835 from Newark Liberty International Airport. The stats are according to FlightAware, which tracks real-time flight data provided by air-traffic control systems.

And that’s just today; once the storm gets going, those numbers are likely to increase. The latest report from the National Weather Service is still predicting anywhere from one to two feet of snow in the five boroughs (and the surrounding environs) tomorrow, with high wind gusts and low visibility likely. (So basically, terrible conditions for flying.)

As of right now, New York City’s other modes of transport—subways, buses, commuter rail, ferries, and Citi Bike—are all operating normally, and will continue to do so until, well, they can’t. The MTA’s various Twitter accounts (for subways, buses, and the Metro-North and LIRR) all offer up-to-the-minute information, as does Citi Bike’s Twitter account. We’ll also provide updates as they’re available.

• Airlines cancel more than 5,400 flights ahead of storm [NYP]
• Winter Storm Stella will bring heavy snow, blizzard conditions to NYC [Curbed]