[category]
[title]
If you’re supposed to be anywhere that requires wheels, wings or rails between now and Monday, consider this your polite-but-firm warning. A sprawling winter system, dubbed winter storm Fern, is lining up to make travel across much of the eastern half of the country deeply annoying, potentially dangerous and very delay-prone.
Forecasters say the storm will stretch from Texas through the Midwest and into the Northeast, with a messy mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice. More than half the U.S. population could feel its effects.
Major hubs from Dallas and Houston to Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New York and Boston are seeing delays and cancellations stacking up fast. According to FlightAware, thousands of flights have already been delayed or canceled, with more expected through the weekend as conditions shift hour by hour.
Most major airlines, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and others, have issued travel waivers, meaning you can usually change your flight without paying extra fees if you act now. Airlines are also warning travelers to expect last-minute schedule changes as the storm slides east.
If your flight does get canceled or severely delayed, U.S. rules are straightforward: airlines must rebook you or refund you. What they don’t have to do is pay for your hotel, meals or airport sleepover. Weather, inconveniently, isn’t their fault. Travel insurance (or coverage through a credit card) can help soften that blow. Train travelers aren’t off the hook either. Amtrak has already canceled or adjusted service on multiple long-distance and regional routes, with more changes possible as conditions worsen.
On the ground, driving could be just as rough. Ice accumulation is expected across parts of the South and Southeast and heavy snow is likely to snarl major interstate corridors farther north. The National Weather Service and The Weather Channel are warning about power outages, downed trees and periods of nearly impossible driving.
If your plans are flexible, now is the moment to move them. If they’re not, keep checking your apps and don’t assume that “on time” will mean anything this weekend.