WASHINGTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,400 flights have been cancelled so far on Friday across the United States as powerful winds with gusts of up to 112 kilometers per hour are wreaking havoc in East Coast, according to the FlightAware.com.

The U.S. National Weather Service says strong winds are likely to remain throughout Friday and into Saturday.

In New York, more than 1,000 flights, both domestic and international, were already cancelled at Newark, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, leaving many travellers stranded.

Boston Logan, both a domestic and international flight center, reported 406 flights cancelled.

In the Washington D.C., over 300 flights were either delayed or cancelled at its three major airports. Reagan National, which has the most East Coast shuttle flights of the three airports, was especially affected, with more than 200 flights already cancelled.

Downed trees were seen in the Washington D.C. area on Friday morning and high winds are expected to continue for much of the day, making Friday possibly the U.S. capital city's windiest day since Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Ahead of the storm, many airlines have issued travel waivers to allow passengers to change their flights without penalty.