The Fern winter storm affected large parts of the United States over 25–27 January 2026, bringing heavy snow and ice from the Southwest through the Midwest to the Northeast. The scale of the event triggered the most severe nationwide air transport disruption since the pandemic, with more than 15,000 flight cancellations over the weekend and thousands more at the start of the week, directly reducing passenger and air cargo capacity across major U.S. hubs.
Disruption extended across surface transport networks. Amtrak cancelled and suspended multiple services across the Midwest and Northeast due to snow and ice accumulation, confirming rail network impacts during the storm period. Road transport was also affected, with multiple documented road closures and impassable conditions reported at state and local levels, constraining mobility and freight movement. While ports and core freight rail corridors were not formally closed, the combined impact across aviation, passenger rail and road networks created system-wide transport friction, delaying cargo flows and highlighting the vulnerability of U.S. logistics to large, multi-day winter weather events.
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