Smoke, severe weather could snarl Fourth of July travel plans
Thunderstorms in the New York area on Wednesday blocked arrivals and departures at area airports, including at LaGuardia Airport. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Long Islanders packing up for the long holiday weekend will have to navigate a double whammy of severe weather and wildfire smoke from Canada that may snarl air travel and make traffic even worse than usual.
Thunderstorms have already caused hundreds of flight disruptions this week before what the AAA has predicted to be a record Fourth of July travel weekend.
Long Island and New York City may experience unhealthy air quality and conditions could deteriorate quickly once the smoke settles in, according to a state health advisory released by the governor's office.
Smoke, which lingers longer than fog or rain, can adversely impact navigational systems air traffic controllers and pilots rely on, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
What to know
Record travel for the holiday weekend is not off to a smooth start.
Thunderstorms and Canadian wildfire smoke may further snarl flights and roads.
- Severe weather at other airports can have a domino effect.
These systems are less effective with solid particles like smoke and ash and extra precautions are required, according to the FAA.
“Travelers may not appreciate weather risks but the pilots, the airlines, the FAA, all have to be very careful and there are weather minimums established for visibility,” said Michael Canders, director of the Aviation Center at Farmingdale State College of the State University of New York.
With more than 2 million travelers expected to fly through the region's major airports from Friday through Tuesday, July Fourth, the Port Authority warned passengers about potential problems.
“The East Coast is expected to be at risk of severe weather and limited visibility due to wildfire smoke from Canada, which may cause travel disruptions at the region’s airports,” the agency said in a release.
This is on top of weather-related trouble that started last weekend when thunderstorms swept through the area. On Monday, nearly 50% of all flights into John F. Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia airports were delayed and 20% of flights canceled, according to the Port Authority.
As of Wednesday afternoon at Kennedy, 261 flights were delayed and 97 more flights were canceled. At LaGuardia, there were 133 delays and 164 cancellations, according to FlightAware, a tracking company
That may leave thousands of flyers waiting in limbo before their holiday trips even begin.
And it’s not just about the local conditions. Severe weather at any major airport will have a domino effect on flights across the country, according to aviation safety expert Kathleen Bangs, a spokesperson with FlightAware.
Bangs said this weekend could bring rain and thunderstorms to many hubs, including, NYC, Miami, Denver and Chicago.
“If we start seeing big delays out of one of these other cities, all these places also impact what happens in New York,” Bangs said.
Last summer, delayed and canceled flights caused a ripple effect nationwide as airlines struggled to regain their footing amid labor shortages and other factors.
While airlines have since beefed up their staffing levels and pared down schedules, the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller workforce continues to be understaffed and could result in even more delays, according Bangs.
“What the airlines are feeling is this frustration that we really need to have enough controllers so that we can maximize this airspace,” Bangs said.
This weekend, Kennedy is expected have 822,120 passengers departing, nearly double the 438,000 that departed in 2019, according to Lindsay Schwimer, a spokesperson for Hopper, a travel booking platform.
Record road travel
Nationwide, the AAA estimates travel this year will top 2019 all-time highs with more than 50 million vacationers trekking at least 50 miles from home, according to records maintained by the AAA since 2000. About 85% of people will be driving to their destinations.
Locally, 3 million people are expected to drive through Port Authority bridges and tunnels. INRIX, an analytics company, predicts traffic will be worst on Friday, June 30 with average travel times up nearly 30%.
Trains, buses and cruise ships are also experiencing a rebound with another 3.36 million Americans using these options, a 24% spike since last year, according to the AAA.
The weekend will also a busy time on Long Island, with thousands of visitors and locals expected to hit beaches and local festivities, such as the Fireworks Spectacular at Jones Beach.
This is expected to boost businesses and the local economy that continues to rebound from the pandemic, according to the Long Island Association.
Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association, said the weekend will be a "real shot in the arm for the economy and a great way to get summer tourism going."
“We expect a lot of visitors this summer and we also expect a lot of Long Islanders to stay local and travel throughout the Island and enjoy their summers,' he added.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
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