Travel nightmare unfolds as storm system grounds East Coast flights ahead of July 4

Flights across the country were halted Tuesday as severe thunderstorms were expected to batter the East Coast affecting millions of travelers close to the holiday weekend Ground stops and delays were issued at Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in the New York City area as well as at airports in Boston Washington D C Philadelphia and Orlando according to the Federal Aviation Administration FAA Scattered storms excessive rainfall and flooding were expected in the northeast the National Weather Organization NWS declared The NWS expects up to three inches of rain along the East Coast EAST COAST FLYERS FACE ADVANCE NIGHTMARE AFTER WEATHER SPARKS DELAYS AHEAD OF HOLIDAY WEEKENDOn Monday Newark Liberty Airport which has been plagued by disruptions due to ongoing staffing shortages experienced delays of a whopping four hours due to thunderstorms with the interruptions expected to affect flights until a m Philadelphia International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport began experiencing delays this week with bad weather continuing to wreak havoc on flights as they moved through the area NEWARK AIRPORT PASSENGERS FACE LENGTHY DELAYS DUE TO STAFFING SHORTAGESCollectively five airports logged about cancellations and delays according to evidence from FlightAware LaGuardia Airport had about flights canceled and delayed according to the site Tuesday's expected storms come as various people are flying out of major airport hubs or driving ahead of the July holiday weekend A flood watch was in effect for the Washington D C area and heavy rains were expected in New York City Fox News Digital's Julia Bonavita contributed to this account