Over 1,500 flights canceled as storms hit northeast U.S.

NEW YORK, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Over 1,500 flights in and out of the United States have been canceled as of Sunday evening as storms battered the country's northeast over the weekend.

Thunderstorms and heavy rain have caused massive flight disruptions and ground stops at major airports in New York and New Jersey, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey has experienced the most significant cancellations, with 362 flights canceled and 337 delayed as of Sunday evening, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.

In New York, John F. Kennedy International Airport has seen 318 canceled flights and 426 delayed flights. At LaGuardia Airport, another airport in the city, the number of canceled flights has reached 270.

Boston Logan International Airport also experienced a ground stop due to thunderstorms on Sunday evening. FlightAware data showed that nearly 260 flights were canceled.

In the U.S. Northeast, over 56 million people were under a flood watch, as heavy rain moved through on Sunday, causing flash flooding and power outage in parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.