A rare September nor’easter is expected to bring high winds and heavy rainfall to the Northeast on Friday and through the weekend—prompting three major airlines to issue travel waivers for customers to rebook flights at no extra charge.

The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting a nor’easter will “bring significant coastal impacts to the Mid-Atlantic and New England through the weekend” with heavy rain and high winds.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says wind delays are possible Friday at the three major airports serving New York City—LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark.

American Airlines’ travel alert allows passengers to rebook at no extra cost if they are ticketed to fly in or out of 16 airports from Virginia to Maine on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

JetBlue Airways has issued a Friday-to-Sunday travel alert covering 11 airports in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

United Airlines’ travel alert covers 10 airports in the Northeast, allowing customers to rebook for free if they are scheduled to travel Friday to Sunday.

How Rain And Wind Lead To Travel Disruptions

Roughly three-quarters of air traffic delays are caused by bad weather, according to FAA data . Heavy rain can impact visibility and runway braking. Strong and gusty crosswinds can slow airport operations, depending on the aircraft, runway direction and surface conditions. There is no single crosswind threshold that causes delays, as limits vary by aircraft and operating conditions. The NWS forecast for this storm calls for gusts as high as 40 mph in the Boston area and up to 44 mph for New York City. Gusts can be especially problematic because rapid changes in wind speed can make takeoffs and landings more complicated.

A rare September nor’easter is strengthening off the East Coast, with the NWS warning of coastal flooding, strong winds and rough surf hitting the Mid-Atlantic on Friday before the storm moves north and intensifies over the weekend. According to forecasts, the storm could dump a month’s worth of rain in parts of New England, including Boston and Providence.

What To Watch For If Traveling This Weekend

Travelers ticketed to fly Friday through Sunday may encounter flight delays and cancellations, even if they are not traveling through East Coast airports. Flights in late afternoon are statistically more likely to be disrupted, as flight delays and cancellations in the morning tend to create a domino effect, causing a backlog that grows as the day wears on. Travelers should check their flight status before heading to the airport to make sure it is operating on time. Those with flights covered by an airline travel waiver may consider rebooking to a later date without having to pay a change fee or fare difference.

Travel Tools That Help Manage Flight Disruptions

Airlines advise downloading the carrier’s app to monitor for updates. For an earlier heads-up, passengers can check their flight’s on-time status with the Flighty app or they can plug their flight information into FlightAware and click the “Where is my plane now?” link just under the flight number. These tools let travelers see if the plane is ahead of schedule, on time or behind schedule—often before the airline announces a delay or cancellation.

Powerful Nor’easter To Hit I-95 Northeast Corridor With A Twist (Forbes)