More than 40 flights canceled at RDU as winter storm hits Northeast

Snow fell for hours overnight at the U.S. Capitol and in New York. The storm becomes worse farther north, where parts of Maine are under a blizzard warning.

At 4 a.m., the weather had led to 2,000 flight cancellations nationwide, including the 40 cancellations at RDU. The number of cancellations nationwide is typically less than 500 in the early morning.

Airports across the country have seen a number of cancellations over the last several weeks, mainly due to staffing issues as the omicron variant spreads and due to weather.

At RDU, the number has not been this high in weeks.

Anyone with a flight scheduled Friday is encouraged to check their flight status before leaving home and arrive at the airport two hours early.