Over 1,500 flights canceled as storms hit US

New York, July 17 : Over 1,500 flights in and out of the US have been canceled as storms battered the countrys northeast over the weekend, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Thunderstorms and heavy rain have caused massive flight disruptions and ground stops at major airports in New York and New Jersey, Xinhua news agency quoted the FAA as saying late Sunday.

The Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey has experienced the most significant cancellations, with 362 flights canceled and 337 delayed as of Sunday night, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.

In New York, the JFK International Airport saw 318 canceled and 426 delayed flights.

At LaGuardia Airport, another airport in the city, the number of canceled flights has reached 270.

Boston Logan International Airport also experienced a ground stop due to thunderstorms on Sunday evening.

FlightAware data showed that nearly 260 flights were canceled.

In the US northeast, over 56 million people were under a flood watch, as heavy rain moved through on Sunday, causing flash flooding and power outage in parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

ksk