Thousands showed up in New Jersey to watch Super Bowl XLVIII and expected Monday to be their departure day, but Mother Nature had other plans.
According to Associated Press, the several inches of snow dumped on the Northeast forced school closings and disrupted air traffic for many trying to get home after the big game.
CNBC has reported that some 1,500 flights were canceled and another 4,100 were delayed by midday.
"If you left during or right after the game, things went smoothly," said Jeff Trance, senior vice president of Air Partner. "The poor quality of the Super Bowl resulted in early departures, and relatively good weather helped alleviate big delays out of Teterboro (N.J.) after the game. However, those who scheduled a morning departure to avoid the post-game rush are ironically feeling the pain of departure delays and steep de-icing costs due to the snow."
Travelers to and from the Eastern U.S. experienced delays last month as record snowfall totals fell in some areas.
This month, if they expected any better, they are disappointed. And it is just beginning as another winter storm is being forecast for some parts of the region later in the week.