Winter Storm Ezra disrupted holiday travel across the U.S. Northeast, Midwest and Great Lakes, with nearly 6,000 delays and 751 cancellations reported by mid-afternoon Monday. AccuWeather warned the system could intensify into a "bomb cyclone," bringing blizzard conditions, dangerous ice, flooding rain and strong winds from Wisconsin to Maine. The FAA issued ground stops at multiple airports including Dulles and Detroit Metropolitan, and airlines have waived change fees as they work to recover schedules. Officials urged people to avoid non-essential travel as hazardous conditions could persist into early Tuesday.
Winter Storm Ezra Strands Holiday Travelers; AccuWeather Warns Of Possible 'Bomb Cyclone'
People look on as the fog clears around the Empire State building, as seen from the Edge NYC, in New York City, U.S., December 29, 2025. REUTERS/Adam Gray
Winter Storm Ezra continued to disrupt holiday travel across the U.S. Northeast, Midwest and Great Lakes on Monday, leaving thousands of passengers facing delays, cancellations and difficult rebookings as airlines scrambled to restore schedules ahead of New Year’s travel.
Widespread Flight Disruptions
Flight tracking site FlightAware reported that by 3:25 p.m. ET nearly 6,000 flights were delayed and 751 had been canceled on Monday. Since Friday, weather-related disruptions have forced the cancellation of more than 3,600 flights and delayed upward of 30,000 others, compounding operational challenges for carriers operating near capacity.
Storm Strength And Hazards
AccuWeather warned the system could intensify into a "bomb cyclone" through Monday night — a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure that can produce hurricane-force winds and heavy precipitation. Meteorologists said the storm could bring blizzard conditions, dangerous ice, heavy rain capable of flooding, and strong winds from Wisconsin eastward to Maine.
The arctic cold front feeding the storm drove abrupt temperature swings: Philadelphia saw temperatures approach 60°F on Monday before forecasts predicted they would plunge into the 20s overnight.
Ground And Road Impacts
Road travel was also affected: poor visibility, icy surfaces and blowing snow contributed to several multi-vehicle pileups. Authorities across parts of the storm zone urged people to avoid non-essential travel as the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that blizzard-like conditions, high winds and ice would make driving hazardous across parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.
Airport Operations And Airline Responses
The Federal Aviation Administration instituted a ground stop at Washington's Dulles International Airport until 4:15 p.m. ET because of high winds, and imposed delays at Boston and Newark due to low visibility and windy conditions. Departures from Albany, Bangor, Burlington and Minneapolis–St. Paul were delayed while ground crews de-iced and cleared snow from aircraft.
Detroit-bound flights saw additional disruption after the FAA ordered a ground stop at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport through 8 a.m. ET on Monday; that halt affected only Delta Air Lines and was attributed to undisclosed operational reasons. Airlines warned that cancellations can cascade, leaving aircraft and crews out of position and complicating recovery efforts.
Financial And Customer Impacts
Delta experienced the largest share of cancellations and delays on Monday; its shares fell nearly 3% in afternoon trading, while shares of United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Air Group each fell about 2%. To help affected travelers, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Delta said they had waived change fees for passengers impacted by weather-related disruptions.
Reporting by Aatreyee Dasgupta, Shivansh Tiwary and Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru. Edited by Dawn Kopecki and Shilpi Majumdar.
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