Bay Area holiday flight cancellations piling up as fierce winter storm grips the nation
SAN FRANCISCO -- By dozens, passengers at San Francisco International Airport Thursday stood in front of the monitors, hoping the dreaded word 'cancelled' was not flashing next to their flight.
A generational 'bomb cyclone' winter storm was tightening its grip across the nation. According to the National Weather Service more than 90 million people are under winter weather alerts and more than 87 million are under wind chill alerts.
The alerts stretch across 37 states, dipping as far south as the Texas/Mexico border.
Mineta San Jose International Airport has reported a "handful" of canceled flights that were mostly headed to Chicago, Denver, St. Louis and Houston.
San Francisco International Airport has had 16 cancellations, which SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said is typical for the airport. Four of the canceled flights were headed to Denver. Three were going to Chicago.
Yakel said that travelers headed to areas affected by the winter weather should check their airline's website for options to adjust travel plans before heading to the airport.
Oakland International Airport said it does not share delay and cancellation information at the request of their airlines, but 13 flights have been canceled and 32 have been delayed Thursday, according to flightaware.com.
All airports in the region have recommended that travelers download their airline's apps for the most up-to-date information on their upcoming flights and to adjust travel plans if necessary. They should also allow extra time when heading to the airport to avoid any unnecessary stress.
The weather Grinch was poised to steal the holiday joy of millions of travelers headed to destinations in the midwest, in the plains states and in the northeast.
Travel expert Peter Greenburg said stormy weather triggers a domino effect.
"The weather coming in, in so many different parts of the country, is hitting a number of airline and airport hubs forcing them to shut down their operations," Greenburg said. "Even though the weather may be beautiful where you are, the plane to take you where you want to go, may not be able to get to you."
If you are able to catch your eastbound flight, forecasters were warning to be prepared for a bumpy trip. The storm is packing turbulent upper atmosphere winds.
The snow won't hit Chicago with full force until later Thursday – but already it's disrupting the Windy City's role as one of the most important air travel hubs in the country on one of the busiest pre-Christmas travel days.
As of 3:50 a.m., Chicago O'Hare International Airport led the nation for outbound flights canceled, with 178 -- or 17% of its outbound flights, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Throughout the nation, more than 1,200 flights were canceled and the number was climbing.
Bay Area airport officials warned travelers to check with their airlines to find out the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
The outlook was much different for those staying at home in the Bay Area or visiting relatives in California over the holiday weekend.
After light showers move through on Thursday night, temperatures will soar through the weekend under clear skies.
Forecasters were predicting a high of 68 degrees in San Jose for Christmas Day and 61 in San Francisco and Oakland.
Bay City News Service contributed to this report.