Severe Flight Delays At Newark Airport; More Ugly Weather Lurks Ahead

NEWARK, NJ — Editor's Note: Read our update to this article here.

Do you plan to fly out of Newark Airport on Monday or the next few days? It’s a smart move to check your flight status before you leave home, officials say.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has issued a multi-day travel advisory for the region’s airports, including Newark, LaGuardia and JFK. According to the Port Authority, the East Coast is expected to be at risk of severe weather throughout Monday afternoon and evening, and continuing through “the next few days.”

• See Related: NJ Weather: Severe Thunderstorms, Flooding, 70 MPH Winds In Forecast
• See Related: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings In NJ: Flooding, High Winds Forecast

All travelers should plan ahead and check the status of their flight with their air carrier before heading to the airport, officials said.

On Sunday, nearly 50 percent of all flights into the agency’s three major airports – John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia – were delayed, with approximately 20 percent of flights canceled, Port Authority officials said.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, FlightAware, which provides an outlook of the number of cancelled or delayed flights, reported the delays and cancellations as follows:

• John F. Kennedy International Airport - 344 delays; 181 cancellations
• Newark Liberty International Airport - 350 delays; 302 cancellations
• LaGuardia Airport - 314 delays; 274 cancellations

National air operations, which are managed and regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, also publishes and updates the status of air activity at the airports in real time.

Port Authority officials noted that atmospheric conditions such as thunderstorms, lightning and low visibility may affect aircraft performance and impact flights at the origin airport or the destination airport.

“Thunderstorms located even several hundred miles from the New York-New Jersey airspace can significantly reduce the throughput of Port Authority airports,” officials said. “Even a minor storm along a departure or arrival route can change that flight’s route by 50 to 100 miles or more, with associated delays often exceeding 90 minutes.”

• See Related: Improperly Checked Gun Causes Delay On Hectic Day At Newark Airport

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.