Thousands Of Flights Delayed, Canceled; Logan And Philly Close For Hours

Travelers are calling it "Stormageddon," the powerful winter storm that roared across the Northeast over the weekend, dumping as much as 38 inches -- more than three feet -- of snow in places like Boston, MA.

While most airports were able to open on Monday, more than 5,000 flights were canceled during the worst of the storm, leaving thousands of passengers to fend for themselves. Some of them were stuck in airports that were nowhere near their destinations because their flights were diverted from airports that had too much snow to handle.

Boston's Logan International was open on Monday, although the airport's web site warned travelers to beware of possible delays and cancellations as the airport continued to dig out from under the blanket of snow.

But snow drifts taller than most basketball players weren't the only problems. The winds howled across the northern tier of states. In some places, gusts peaked at more than 80 miles an hour -- making airport operations all but impossible.

The storm, of course, had a rippling effect throughout the country. Airports as far away as southwest Florida reported cancelled flights to places like Chicago, Newark and Boston, leaving snowbirds with a few extra days of sunshine and (relatively) warm temperatures.

The storm, which appeared to gather strength as it moved further east, is now blamed for close to 20 deaths -- although none were immediately linked to aviation.

FMI: www.noaa.gov