Flights cancelled, schools dismissed as winter storm hits eastern U.S.

VIDEO: Storm grips eastern U.S.

PHILADELPHIA – Thousands of flights have been cancelled and thousands more have been delayed as a winter storm bears down on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States.

Flight-tracking site Flightaware.com reports that airports from Washington to Boston were impacted Tuesday. An additional 450 flights for Wednesday are already cancelled.

The intense winter storm is threatening to drop up to five inches of snow in New York and Philadelphia. High winds of 15 to 17 mph. Higher gusts are expected overnight.

It’s likely that the storm will affect travellers to and from Canada as well.

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In Toronto, Pearson International Airport asked that passengers check their flights before heading to the airport.

READ MORE: GTAA apologizes to passengers for Pearson airport slowdown

There were already several delays and cancellations at the Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

The U.S. National Weather Service says the storm could bring up to 25 cm of snow Tuesday to Philadelphia and New York, and more than a foot in Boston. Bitterly cold air with wind chills as low as -23 C is forecast.

Schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky are sending students home early or staying closed for an extra day after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

With files from Global News