(WXXI News & AP) A sloppy mix of rain and snow rolled into the Northeast on Wednesday just as millions of Americans began the big Thanksgiving getaway, grounding hundreds of flights and turning highways hazardous along the congested Washington-to-Boston corridor.
By early afternoon, more than 600 flights had been canceled, the bulk of them in the Northeast, during what is typically one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Thousands of flight delays were also expected as the snow from the nor'easter piled up.
Some travelers tried to change their plans and catch earlier flights to beat the storm, and major airlines waived their re-booking fees. But most planes were already filled.
Numerous auto accidents were reported across the Northeast, where by midafternoon the line between rain and snow ran roughly along Interstate 95, the chief route between Washington and Boston.
Major Northeast cities were likely to see moderate to heavy rain most of the day, though New York could see 1 to 4 inches of snow, and its northern suburbs 6 to 8 inches, the National Weather Service said. Higher elevations west of the I-95 corridor could see as much as 6 to 12 inches.
The Albany area was expected to get around 10 to 14 inches of snow by Thanksgiving morning.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo activated the state's Emergency Operations Center and had 1,800 plow operators standing by to clear snow between New York City and Albany.
The Rochester area is expecting only light accumulations, with the heavier amounts as you head toward Central and Eastern New York State.
The Nor'easter has impacted some flights at the Rochester airport. That mainly involves flights headed to places like the New York City Metropolitan area and Philadelphia.
Airport Director in Rochester Mike Giardino says we've also seen some flights that were headed to places like Newark and Binghamton being diverted to the Rochester airport to wait out the storm.
"We’re getting diversions primarily because of the weather, and the types of instrument approaches and the minimum altitudes that these aircraft can actually descend into"
Giardino says if you are flying out of Rochester and have any questions about the status of your flight, check with your airline and Monroe County website.
