Travel Advisory

From media reports: Fox News reported one person died Tuesday after an engine of a Dallas-bound Southwest Airlines plane exploded in midair.

The female passenger, who later died from her injuries, was first taken to a hospital in critical condition, fire officials said.

National Transportation Safety Board Robert Sumwalt confirmed the death at a news conference Tuesday.

Seven others who were aboard Flight 1380 from New York's LaGuardia Airport, which made an emergency landing in Philadelphia, suffered minor injuries, but were not transported to a hospital.

From media reports: WFAA News in Texas reported a Southwest Airlines flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Dallas made an emergency landing at Philadelphia's airport Tuesday with part of the covering from its left engine ripped off.

The Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) tweeted at 12:35 p.m. that the FAA has issued a ground stop for flights entering the city. "FAA has issued ground stop for planes on the ground at other airports waiting to depart for PHL. Check flight status with your airline. Flights are departing PHL. Passengers should expect delays."

News helicopter footage showed damage to the left engine of the plane and the tarmac covered with foam from fire crews.

The Philadelphia airport also tweeted that Flight 1380 "landed safely at PHL and passengers are being brought into the terminal."

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hundreds of travelers from Minnesota are stranded in Mexico because they are unable to rebook Sun Country Airlines flights that were canceled due to a storm at home, because the carrier has ended its seasonal service south of the border.

Travelers are stuck in Los Cabos and Mazatlán.

Sun Country, based in Eagan, Minnesota, says the flights that were canceled were the last of the season and that it doesn’t have another flight on which to rebook the passengers. It says the passengers will receive a refund for the return portion of their flight.

The Star Tribune reports that Sun Country spokeswoman Kelsey Dodson-Smith said the airline couldn’t send another plane to collect the stranded passengers because it would mean canceling other flights to other destinations.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A potent, slow-moving spring storm system that's expected to persist through the weekend began raking the Plains and Midwest on Friday, bringing blizzard conditions to South Dakota and the threat of tornadoes from Texas and Louisiana north all the way to Iowa.

The huge storm, packing enough energy to cause widespread disruption, isn't unprecedented for April, said Jake Beitlich, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Blizzard warnings stretched from northern Kansas across most of Nebraska and South Dakota into southwestern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa, with winter storm warnings and watches covering most of the rest of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Heavy snow already blanketed parts of western Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota by early afternoon Friday, closing major highways in South Dakota and many roads and highways in western Nebraska — including a 200-mile stretch of cross-country thoroughfare Interstate 80 from North Platte west to the Wyoming border.

Snow, freezing rain and high winds were expected through Saturday night, with heavy ice accumulations in parts of Michigan through Sunday morning.

A swath of southern Minnesota including Minneapolis though northern Wisconsin was expected to get 8 to 12 inches of snow or more. Parts of northern Nebraska could get up to 18 inches, with up to 12 inches in northwestern Iowa. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph will make travel hazardous.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issued tornado watches Friday for eastern Texas and western Louisiana, moving up through eastern Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and into Missouri and Iowa. The weather service also warned of the potential for strong thunderstorms, large hail and damaging winds for Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and eastern portions of Texas.

Forecasters said Alabama was also at risk for a weekend of severe weather, with the National Weather Service predicting storms beginning over north Alabama early Saturday will create a threat of winds up to 60 mph and tornadoes through Sunday.

The Storm Prediction Center said there's an enhanced risk of bad weather in an area that includes Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile, and that Montgomery is on the fringe of the risk area.

According to Weather.com, Winter Storm Xanto is expected to bring blizzard conditions to areas of the northern Plains before carrying heavy snow and freezing rain through the upper Midwest and northern New England areas through the weekend.

Winter Storm Xanto is also impacting travel, with top airlines in the United States waiving changes fees for impacted travelers. Passengers flying with American, Delta, Southwest, United and other carriers should check to ensure their flights are not impacted by the storm.

Some of the cities expected to face flight delays and cancellations include Chicago, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Sioux Falls, Grand Rapids, Omaha and more.

Travelers scheduled to fly to or from impacted destinations between April 13-15 are eligible to have their change fees waived and will be able to book a new flight through April 18.

For those traveling with Amtrak, the rail company announced the cancelation of Empire Builder services both eastbound and westbound on April 13 and westbound on April 14. No substitute transportation will be available and service will be restored after the storm passes and an assessment is made with the host railroads.

The FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center on Friday evening reported flight delays at the following airport:

Due to weather/wind, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA (SFO). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 4 hours and 16 minutes.

Passengers planning to fly into or out of the affected airport should contact their airline to confirm flight status.

U.S. Embassy Paris

Nationwide Demonstrations and Strikes by Major Transportation Unions in France:

Air France, French National Railway Networks and Civil Service Employees

Transportation unions in France have called for nationwide strikes and demonstrations which are affecting the nation's railway system and local transport lines, including the metro and bus system in Paris and other major cities in France. Strikes by Air France employees and demonstrations by civil service government employees may also occur. Rolling two-day strikes of the national rail system are planned from April to June if a labor agreement between the unions and French government is not reached.

Cebu Pacific will cancel its flights to and from Caticlan and Kalibo over the 6-month period that Boracay Island, the world-famous tourist destination, will be closed.

The airline made the announcement close to midnight of Thursday, April 5, a few hours after President Rodrigo Duterte announced in a Cabinet meeting that he had accepted the recommendation of three agencies to shut down the island amid environmental concerns.

Snow hit New York in the early hours causing chaos for commuter traffic and hundreds of flight cancellations across its three major airports today as up to three inches were dumped on the city in the morning.

The unseasonable snow storm also struck the northeast, bringing commuter misery to residents in Washington, Philadelphia, and much of New Jersey. New England is expecting up to five inches of snow in some non-urban areas.

A second storm is expected to sweep from the northern Rockies into the Midwest and Great Lakes into Wednesday. Parts of Wisconsin and Michigan could see up to 18 inches of snow by the end of the day Wednesday.

American regional airline Great Lakes suspended scheduled flight operations last night. The airline said in a statement:

“Although we are ceasing flight operations, it is important to note that the company has not entered bankruptcy and will continue to operate certain segments of the business. We will continue to support the ADI flights operating between Denver, Pierre and Watertown.”

Snow was falling across most of P.E.I. by 1 p.m. Thursday, with schools and provincial civil service offices already closed.

Environment Canada has issued snowfall warnings for Queens and Kings counties, but CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland cautions Prince County residents should also be prepared.

Strong winds and blowing and snow are expected through the afternoon.

Snowfall will amount to close to 20 centimeters by Friday morning in most parts of the Island, most of it by midnight.

Flights are canceled at Charlottetown Airport through to mid-afternoon. Travelers should be aware of the possibility of further cancellations and delays. Confederation Bridge has a wind warning advisory in effect, with traffic restrictions possible through the afternoon.

The heaviest snow will fall in the early afternoon, until about 5 p.m. It will continue until about midnight when it will taper off to flurries.

Winds were forecast to blow at 40 km/h starting in the early morning, gusting to 60, and continuing through the night, causing possible visibility issues in blowing snow. With strong winds continuing Friday morning, Scotland said blowing snow could still be an issue.

The FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center on Wednesday afternoon reported significant flight delays at the following airport:

Due to weather/wind, there is a traffic management program in effect for flights arriving at San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA (SFO). This is causing some flights to be delayed an average of four hours and eight minutes.

Because a traffic management program is delaying some arriving flights, departing flight schedules may be affected.

The FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center on Tuesday evening reported significant flight delays at the following airport:

Due to weather/wind, departure traffic destined to San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA (SFO) is currently experiencing delays averaging 3 hours and 46 minutes.

A Southwest Airlines flight landed safely in Philadelphia Tuesday after the jet violently depressurized when a piece of an engine flew into and broke a window, according to passenger accounts and air traffic controllers.

One passenger's father-in-law, relaying information from his daughter, said the impact was so severe that a female passenger was partially sucked out of the plane when the window imploded.

"One passenger, a woman, was partially … was drawn out towards the out of the plane … was pulled back in by other passengers," he said in a phone interview with NBC10.

The Dallas-bound Boeing 737-700 — numbered Flight 1380 — made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport around 11:20 a.m. Tuesday after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. There were 149 people onboard. A ground stop was put into effect at the airport as crews responded.

The jet's left engine blew shortly after takeoff, passengers said. Pieces of shrapnel flew into the plane's fuselage and at least one window, the passengers and FAA said.

A three-alarm fire late Monday at the Colorado Springs Airport grounded all flights and forced cancellations Tuesday.

The fire broke out about 11:30 p.m. Monday in the insulation on the roof on the west side of the airport. It took firefighters more than four hours to contain. 

Evacuations were issued, and inbound travelers found themselves suddenly trapped on their planes.

New York City airports saw hundreds of canceled and delayed flights on Monday morning as heavy April showers took the area by storm.

John F. Kennedy International Airport saw 39 canceled flights and LaGuardia Airport saw another 188 by 11 a.m. Newark Liberty International Airport reported nearly 100 cancelations soon after.

Thunderstorms in the area are causing hours of delays to flights arriving at the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration reported.

JFK Airport saw more than 150 delayed flights because of the weather, with arrival delays to the airport averaging around an hour and 30 minutes.

The weather caused more than 200 flight delays at Newark, holding up flights into the airport by nearly three hours.

Arrival flights into LaGuardia were averaging delays of around two hours, which also held up some departing flights. The FAA reported more than 200 delayed flights at the airport.

The impending blizzard is grounding flights out of Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Regional Airport is closing tonight until tomorrow (Saturday) at 7 p.m. depending on the weather, the airport said in a posting on Twitter.

The airport says passengers should check with their airlines for updated flight times.

It's not clear when exactly the airport will close tonight. A call to airport Executive Director Dan Letellier wasn't immediately returned.

Interstate 90 shut down from Rapid City to Mitchell

Interstate 29 closing from North Dakota border to Brookings

Currently, the last posted commercial airline departure from the airport is a United flight to Chicago leaving at 6:20 p.m. The last arrival into the airport is a Delta flight from Minneapolis at 11:21 p.m.

Several flights into the airport have already been canceled.

The airport is just the latest closure announcement as a possibly record-setting blizzard bears down on the Sioux Falls area.

Location: Fiji, Tonga

Event: Tropical Cyclone Keni is forecast to pass by Fiji on Tuesday, April 10 as a Category 2 or Category 3 cyclone, causing destructive winds, waves, and flooding.  A tropical cyclone warning is in force for the western half of Viti Levu, the Yasawa and Mamanuca islands, Kadavu and smaller islands.  A tropical cyclone alert remains in effect for the rest of Viti Levu, Lomaiviti and the Southern Lau group.  A strong wind warning and heavy rain warning remain in force for all of Fiji.  A flood warning/alert remains in force for low-lying and river-adjacent areas of Fiji.  Many parts of the Fiji islands, particularly in the Northern and Western Divisions, are experiencing severe flooding.  Roads have been affected by mudslides and international and domestic flights have been delayed and canceled through Tuesday.

Tonga: Tropical Cyclone Keni is forecast to pass by Tonga on April 11, 2018.  A gale-force wind alert is now in force for Tongatapu and 'Eua.

An “atmospheric river” of precipitation continued to bear down on the Bay Area early Friday, even as brief periods of rain overnight provided a preview for what may be ahead.

Weather forecasters anticipate the storms will hit north of the Dumbarton Bridge.

The anticipated storm already was messing with travel. By 6 a.m., 21 flights had been canceled at San Francisco International Airport and more were anticipated, according to a duty manager. A ground-delay program was not yet in place but possible later in the morning.

Information on flights in and out of San Jose and Oakland were not available immediately.

A decision by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to shut the holiday hotspot of Boracay, which he has called a "cesspool," prompted airlines to cut flights on Thursday, as hotels prepared for cancellations and businesses appeared resigned to a move the government said was non-negotiable.

From media reports: Southwest is warning on its official website of possible flight delays and/or cancellations on 4 April at Northeastern airports because of weather conditions.

Disruption may occur at the following airports:

Boston (BOS) Hartford (BDL) Long Island MacArthur (ISP) New York LaGuardia (LGA) Newark (EWR) Philadelphia (PHL) Providence (PVD)

Passengers are advised to contact their airline to confirm flight status before heading to the affected airports.

Do not travel to:

      Poas Volcano National Park due to a natural disaster.

Exercise increased caution in:

• Central neighborhood in Limon due to crime.
• Liberia city due to crime.
• Desamparados neighborhood in San Rafael due to crime.

Pavas and Hospital neighborhoods San Jose due to crime.

Despite the slower start time, snowfall warnings cover Atlantic Canada as this month's fourth nor'easter threatens the region with dangerous travel conditions. Strong northeasterly winds could significantly jeopardize visibility in areas of heavy snow through Friday. Expect up to 30 cm to pile up in the hardest hit places. In addition, thundersnow!

The system is rather complex as it transfers its energy from the Eastern U.S. and moves over the ocean to Atlantic Canada. There are a few circulations all pivoting and interacting with each other underneath the main storm complex, resulting in a convoluted system and forecast.

The latest nor'easter rolled into New England Thursday as millions of others in the Northeast began to dig out from the storm that dumped more than a foot of snow in some places, knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers and had many wishing for more spring-like weather. Airlines cancelled thousands of flights.

Airlines canceled some 4,400 flights Wednesday, according to FlightAware.com. " Airlines are finalizing their recovery plans and have cancelled 615 flights today as they work to recoup their schedules," the site added.

The fourth nor'easter to hit the Tristate in the month of March is bearing down with heavy snow and damaging winds, and it's expected to cripple travel on the East Coast once again as the region still recovers from the first three storms.

NJ Transit, Metro-North and Amtrak all announced modified schedules ahead of the storm.

More than 2,000 flights have been canceled in and out of LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty international airports Wednesday in anticipation of the storm. American Airlines says it will suspend flight operations at LaGuardia for the day after 11 a.m. The last departure will be to Miami at 11:05 a.m.