Some flights cancelled due to winter storm in US

Some flights to and from the United States at both the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and the Sangster International Airport in St James have been cancelled due to a winter storm affecting sections of the country.

So far, the cancellations primarily affect JetBlue flights to and from New York.

At Sangster, a Delta Air Lines flight from New York was also cancelled. Outside of that airline, Sangster indicated that some flight operations have been delayed.

At both airports, the cancellations run from Sunday to Tuesday, affecting travel plans for hundreds of passengers.

Passengers have been urged to contact their airlines for updates and rebooking.

New York is among several US states for which authorities have issued a blizzard alert amid forecasts of heavy snow and damaging winds.

The National Weather Service warned that once the storm intensifies on Sunday, it could prove significantly more severe than projections made just a few days ago.

The weather service said 1 to 2 feet (about 30 to 61 centimetres) of snow is possible in many areas as it issued blizzard warnings for New York City and Long Island, as well as Boston and coastal communities in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Flooding is also possible in parts of New York and New Jersey, it said.

Airport authorities in Jamaica said they are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide updates as weather conditions evolve and airline schedules are adjusted.

Stakeholders in the tourism sector are also keeping a careful watch, particularly as the winter travel season remains one of the busiest periods for US arrivals into Jamaica.

- Janet Silvera and AP contributed to this story.

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