More Than 16,000 Flights Canceled or Delayed Due to Major Storms

Powerful March storms have disrupted air travel across the United States since Sunday, leading to ground stops and delays at several major airports and causing airlines to cancel thousands of flights nationwide.

Kelly McBride Ni

Published: 3/16/2026, 10:26:08 PM EDT

More Than 16,000 Flights Canceled or Delayed Due to Major Storms — Passengers move through one of the terminals as multiple flights have been canceled and delayed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on March 16, 2026. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

As of 10:15 p.m. ET Monday, more than 4,600 flights scheduled to fly into, out of, or within the United States on Monday had been canceled, and roughly 11,500 other U.S. flights were delayed, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. More than 450 flights in the United States scheduled for Tuesday have been canceled.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the storm is affecting travel. “Major storm today impacting flights nationwide,” Duffy wrote in a March 16 post on X.

“Severe thunderstorms likely to sweep across the entire eastern U.S. with the highest threat over the interior Mid-Atlantic late today,” stated the National Weather Service on March 16, also warning that an “anomalously early heatwave begins to intensify and expand east across the western U.S.”

Duffy also said ground stops were issued at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, while a ground delay program was in place at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.

He urged travelers to check their flight status before heading to the airport, and to use nasstatus.faa.gov.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also warned that severe weather on the East Coast was disrupting air travel.

In a March 16 statement posted on X, the agency said: “Severe weather on the East Coast is causing flight delays and cancellations at airports.”

The FAA also advised passengers to check their flight status with airlines before leaving home and directed travelers to its real-time airport status page for updates.

The arrivals board displaying multiple canceled and delayed flights is shown at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on March 16, 2026. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images) — The arrivals board displaying multiple canceled and delayed flights is shown at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on March 16, 2026. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Severe Weather Disrupts Aviation Operations

The disruptions come as a large storm system moves across the country, bringing severe thunderstorms, strong winds and winter weather that have affected aviation operations nationwide. Schools along the East Coast have also closed in anticipation of the storm.

Beyond the storms on the East Coast, significant winter weather is affecting parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes, where heavy snowfall and strong winds created dangerous travel conditions over the weekend.

The National Weather Service forecasted snowfall rates of one to three inches per hour as the system moved from the northern Plains into northern Michigan.

According to the Weather Prediction Center, the storm continues to batter the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes as of Monday.

Blizzard warnings remain in effect, and "25–35 inches of snow have fallen across southeastern Minnesota, central Wisconsin, and northern Michigan," it stated.

On Monday, Forecasters said wind gusts of up to 50 mph and blowing snow could keep travel dangerous as the system moves east.

"Heavy snow and strong winds will continue to produce blizzard conditions and significant travel impacts today," stated the Weather Prediction Center on March 16.

Airports in the Chicago area experienced some of the largest disruptions during the storm's early phase over the weekend.

Data from the flight-tracking service FlightAware showed hundreds of cancellations at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport on March 15 as snow and high winds affected operations.

As of 10:25 p.m. ET Monday, Chicago Department of Aviation data showed 627 cancellations at O'Hare International Airport and 61 at Midway International Airport.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.