Flight cancellations surpass 1,000 over storm in Charlotte

Bloomberg

The brunt of Winter Storm Diego hasn’t arrived in North Carolina yet, but it’s already wreaking havoc on travellers.
At Charlotte Douglas International Airport, nearly 1,300 flights in and out of the city have been cancelled this weekend, according to Flight Aware, an airline tracking service. American Airlines Group Inc., which uses Charlotte as a hub, accounted for a third of that total. Overall, the carrier said it has scrapped more than 1,100 flights across the country because of the storm. Both American and Delta Air Lines Inc. said customers impacted by the weather on Sunday and Monday can make a one-time change to their travel plans without a fee.
More than 70 percent of all flights in Charlotte have been scratched for Sunday when the region is expected to be digging out from as much as a foot of snow. That’s more than many parts of the state get in a year.
“It’s a wide swath that will get hit,” said Alex Lamers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“It will create hazardous weather conditions.”
Diego has made its way across the US this week, bringing wintry precipitation to California and Texas, where Lubbock received more than 10 inches of snow. The heart of the storm is projected to move to the Carolinas and Virginia on Saturday night. The biggest snowfalls — possibly totalling more than 12 inches — are expected near the Appalachian Mountains.
“To get a foot of snow that far south in the Appalachians happens every 10 years or so,” Lamers said.
And more irregular snowstorms could be coming. There are increasing signs that an El Nino — when the Pacific warms and produces a winter that’s wetter than usual — has formed, Lamers said.