A late-season winter storm is disrupting air travel at Toronto Pearson International Airport, just as many families begin heading out for March Break.
The airport was reporting 416 delays as of 4:00 p.m., according to FlightAware data, while cancellations number 93. The disruptions come amid heavy snowfall, with up to 8 cm of snow expected through the afternoon, possibly turning to mixed precipitation around 4 p.m. EST.
Of those delays, 188 involve flights within, into or out of the United States, where severe winds are also disrupting operations.
At O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, nearly 1,000 flights were delayed Friday morning after heavy winds caused an outage in a ground radar system used by air traffic controllers.
Disruptions have continued to mount, with 1,326 delays reported as of 4:00 p.m. EST—the highest number tracked globally by FlightAware at that time. As a major hub for both United and American Airlines, Chicago’s delays are likely causing a domino effect across connecting flights throughout the U.S.
High winds are also expected to slow flights at several major US hubs, including Boston (BOS), New York (EWR, JFK, LGA), Philadelphia (PHL), Washington, D.C. (BWI, DCA, IAD), Chicago (ORD, MDW), Minneapolis–St. Paul (MSP) and Denver (DEN).
Pearson had anticipated the wintery weather, writing on X earlier today: “Our crews at the Airfield Maintenance Facility are preparing to head out onto the runways to clear any snow that falls. The team will run continuous loops of the airfield to keep critical areas clear.”
To manage operations safely, the airport has also activated a Departure Traffic Management Initiative, which regulates aircraft departures during adverse weather.
Pearson has 505 departures scheduled today, with the busiest routes including YVR (47), LGA (46) and Montreal (44).
