Flights to airports in parts of the U.S. Northeast were delayed as much as three hours or more as a storm packing 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain and wind gusts as high as 60 mph (97 kph) moved across the northern U.S.

Winter storm warnings range from Ohio to Maine, while high wind warnings and watches extend from North Carolina to Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service (link). Almost 1,100 flights were canceled today, the FlightAware tracking service reported.

A cold front will move through the New York City area about 3 p.m., raising sustained winds to as high as 30 mph with gusts of 60 mph or higher, said Lauren Nash, a weather service meteorologist in Upton, New York.

"They are already gusting pretty high and it is only going to get worse with the wind," Nash said. The wind and rain will taper off by midnight, the agency said.

The winds were blamed for flight delays averaging about two and one-half hours at New York's LaGuardia Airport, according to an airport statement. Flights into Philadelphia and Newark Liberty were being delayed by more than 3 hours, the Federal Aviation Administration said on its website.

East Coast Outlook

East Coast cities from Philadelphia to Boston will receive rain from the storm, said Tom Kines, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania. To the north, a region stretching from northern Missouri to Maine will receive 3 inches to 6 inches of snow, he said.

"Some areas will pick up more than 6 with the best chances most likely in western New York and northern parts of New England," Kines said.

Residents of southern Ontario should expect as much as 7 inches of snow, according to Environment Canada. Parts of southern Quebec may receive as much as 9 inches, the weather agency said.

A separate system may mean snowfall for parts of California, including the hills in and around San Francisco, Kines said.

The weather service issued a winter storm advisory, meaning snow at elevations above 1,000 feet, for areas around San Francisco and San Jose, including Napa County, where a freeze warning was posted.

Kines said as much as 3 feet of snow may fall in the Sierra Nevada region.

That system will move across the country and bring more rain to the U.S. Northeast early next week, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net.