A Rare September Storm Just Grounded Hundreds of East Coast Flights

A rare late-September storm system brought widespread nor’easter flight disruptions to the US Northeast from September 25 through the weekend. American, JetBlue, United, Delta and Southwest all issued travel waivers across dozens of airports, from Virginia to Maine. By Friday afternoon, roughly 600 flights were delayed at LaGuardia alone. Heavy rain and wind gusts up to 44 mph moved through Boston and New York at the same time.

How widespread the nor’easter flight disruptions became

Each major US carrier covered a different slice of the affected region. American Airlines issued waivers across 16 airports stretching from Virginia to Maine. JetBlue covered 11 airports concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and New England. United applied waivers to 10 Northeast airports, and Delta and Southwest each covered seven airports from New York to Maine. That overlapping coverage meant travelers passing through nearly any major Northeast hub faced some risk of delay or cancellation. The storm’s disruption ran for days.

Why this storm caught attention

Nor’easters typically peak in the colder months. That makes a storm severe enough to ground hundreds of flights in late September notable on its own. Sustained winds reached 40 to 44 mph in the Boston and New York City areas, combined with heavy rain bands. Those conditions force air traffic controllers to slow arrival and departure rates well below normal capacity. That slowdown produces cascading delays, even at airports that never lose full operational capability.

What travelers were told to do

“Anyone with travel plans from or into the East Coast needs to ask themselves what their tolerance for delays and potential cancellations is,” said Katy Nastro of the flight-tracking service Flighty. Her comment captured the practical advice airlines and travel-industry voices repeated throughout the storm. Airlines’ own guidance echoed that caution. Check flight status well before heading to the airport. Rely on airline apps or independent trackers like FlightAware for real-time updates, and use fee-free rebooking waivers to shift travel earlier when possible. Travelers were also told to avoid booking late-afternoon flights, since afternoon departures accumulate the delays that build up earlier in the day.

A second disruption for the same region this month

This is not the only recent stretch of trouble for Northeast air travel. Earlier in September, a separate air-traffic-control equipment transition caused delays into Boston, Newark and Philadelphia. That disruption stemmed from a technology changeover rather than weather. The back-to-back disruptions, one technical and one meteorological, underline how little slack the Northeast’s congested airspace has. It cannot easily absorb an interruption, whether from equipment, weather or staffing.

What happens as the storm clears

Airlines typically need one to two additional days beyond a storm’s departure to fully clear the backlog of delayed aircraft and crews. Planes and pilots end up out of position relative to their normal schedules. Travelers with trips planned into the following week should still monitor their flight status even after the weather has passed. Recovery delays can linger after the rain and wind move out of the region. That recovery typically unfolds unevenly, from Virginia to Maine. Larger hub airports generally restore normal schedules faster than smaller regional airports. Those smaller airports depend on connecting traffic from the hubs to get aircraft and crews back into position.

Frequently asked questions

Which airlines issued waivers for the nor’easter flight disruptions?

American Airlines, JetBlue, United, Delta and Southwest all issued weather waivers covering airports across the Northeast.

How many airports were affected?

American covered 16 airports from Virginia to Maine, JetBlue 11 and United 10. Delta and Southwest each covered seven airports from New York to Maine.

How bad were the delays at the storm’s peak?

Roughly 600 flights were delayed at LaGuardia alone by Friday afternoon. Wind gusts up to 44 mph were reported in the Boston and New York areas.

What should travelers do during a storm like this?

Check flight status before leaving for the airport, use airline apps or trackers like FlightAware, take advantage of fee-free rebooking waivers, and avoid late-afternoon flights when possible.

Is this related to the earlier September flight delays into Boston and Newark?

No. That earlier disruption was caused by an air-traffic-control equipment transition, while this nor’easter’s delays were driven by weather.

Why late-September nor’easters are unusual

Nor’easters get their name from the northeasterly winds that blow onshore ahead of the storm. They draw their strength from a temperature contrast: cold air moving south from Canada meets still-warm ocean water off the US East Coast. That contrast is normally sharpest in the late autumn and winter months. That is why a system powerful enough to ground hundreds of flights, with wind gusts near 44 mph, stood out as notable this early in the season. Meteorologists tracking the storm noted that similar ocean-temperature and jet-stream conditions could make early, intense nor’easters more common in the years ahead. Attributing any single storm to a longer-term pattern, though, requires more data than one event provides.

More on this month’s travel disruptions

For more on this month’s travel disruptions, see our reporting on the earlier air-traffic-control delays into Boston, Newark and Philadelphia and Hurricane Nolo’s disruption of Hawaii flights.

Sources

• Forbes — 5 Major Airlines Issue Travel Waivers For Weekend Nor’easter. https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2026/09/25/rare-september-noreaster-airline-travel-advisories/
• KTLA — Powerful nor’easter disrupts flights nationwide, including LAX. https://ktla.com/news/local-news/powerful-noreaster-disrupts-flights-nationwide-including-lax/