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12,000 Flights Canceled, NatGas Spikes Again As Winter Storm Fern Paralyzes Eastern US

Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Monday, Jan 26, 2026 - 12:00 AM

Update (1900ET):

The good news for those across the southern US and the Mid-Atlantic is that the massive snowstorm turned ice storm will wind down this evening. In the Northeast, snow will continue overnight. The bad news: much of the eastern half of the country is set for a week of dangerously cold temperatures.

Winter weather has disrupted air travel across the eastern half of the US, with nearly 12,000 flights canceled at two dozen airports.

Government weather forecasters have been in nonstop crisis mode over the last few days, as urgent internal forecasts issued by the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center reached unprecedented levels. This cold snap and snowstorm represent a high-impact winter weather event.

In markets, New York natgas futures surged another 16.6% as winter activity and extreme cold triggered production freeze-offs. If these gains hold, January will mark the largest monthly jump on record.

Natural gas prices are now at their highest level since late 2022.

Reporting on the freeze-offs:

All eyes remain on freeze-offs this week and the risks to power grids.

* * * 

The major winter storm we've been tracking all week is now blanketing much of the eastern half of the U.S., with snow falling from Oklahoma through Louisville, Cleveland, Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, and now reaching Boston.

Impacts are already significant, with the largest surge in flight cancellations and delays since the Covid era: Airlines have canceled more than 10,00 U.S. flights for Sunday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware. Most in single day since Covid era. 

FlightAware's Misery Map of delays and cancellations shows severe travel disruptions across major airports, from Dallas and Atlanta to Washington, DC, New York City, and Boston.

"Extremely cold air will follow, prolonging dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts into next week," the National Weather Service wrote in an early morning weather update.

Attention now turns to energy risks, as extreme cold raises the threat of natural gas production freeze-offs and reduced pipeline flows, increasing the potential for power grid stress from Texas through the Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast.

Related:

Earlier, the Department of Energy issued a special emergency alert to "mitigate blackouts in the Mid-Atlantic" by allowing power plants operate above "environmental permits or state law."

"As Winter Storm Fern brings extreme cold and dangerous conditions to the Mid-Atlantic, maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM region is non-negotiable," said Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.

Wright noted, "The previous administration's energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during events like Winter Storm Fern. Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool to keep the lights on and Americans safe through this storm."

PJM Interconnection is the regional grid operator that runs wholesale electricity markets and grid reliability across much of the Mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest and South

The power generation mix on PJM is mostly NatGas, coal, and nuclear, with unreliable renewable power such as solar and wind barely producing power. In other words, fossil fuels and nuclear power are keeping the grid from collapsing as heating demand surges.

Power outage tracking website PowerOutage.com shows nearly 900,000 customers from Texas to Virginia without electricity. Tennessee has the highest number of outages at nearly 300,000, followed by Mississippi with about 150,000.

*Developing. 

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