Thousands more flights have been cancelled in American as airlines battle what the National Weather Service is calling the biggest geographic storm in United States history.

As many as 12,000 departures have been cancelled, according to data from tracking site Flightaware, with hundreds of thousands of passengers left stranded.

Airports from New Mexico to New England have seen a raft of cancellations, as a storm bringing high winds, snow, and ice reduced temperatures to below freezing across the country.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport is among the worst hit, having seen over 13 inches of snow in the past 24-hours.

Services from Midway Airport in the city have also been severely disrupted.

New York has seen all three airports reduce schedules, with very few departures operating.

Boston Logan was closed early on Wednesday.

Amtrak service between New York and Philadelphia resumed Wednesday morning after a brief shutdown.

However, there are signs the situation could be easing in other areas.

The Tulsa International Airport opened its main runway late yesterday, with Southwest and American Airlines planning to operate flights.

All other airlines have, however, cancelled flights until Thursday.

On Tuesday, nearly 7,000 flights were cancelled.