Jacksonville family stranded in NYC

Cold weather, snow keeps family up north

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A winter storm in the Northeast is dumping nearly a foot of snow, and bringing heavy winds and freezing temperatures with it.

The storm is stretching from Virginia to Massachusetts and is keeping nearly 300 flights on the ground.

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Pamela Farnesi traveled to New York City with her two daughters and told Channel 4 that she is trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

Farnesi and her daughters were supposed to fly back Tuesday night to Jacksonville, but were delayed until at least 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Farnesi said they are passing time with a Broadway show, a snowball fight and some retail therapy.

"We've kind of done a little shopping and stayed inside the stores and going down to the subway, and then come back to the hotel and warm up for a little while, and now we're fixing to go to a Broadway show, 'Chicago,'" said Farnesi.

With nearly a foot of snow, strong winds and very low temperatures, Delta canceled the Farnesi family's trip back to Jacksonville, which means Farnesi's daughters will have to miss school.

"The biggest fear is our children -- who are seniors -- are dually enrolled in city college, so it's a little difficult for them," said Farnesi. "They can only miss so many college class days and that's a big concern for us at this point."

While her family is looking forward to a quick trip to the Statue of Liberty before they head back to Jacksonville, Farnesi said she's learned a valuable lesson in winter travel.

"Absolutely bring some extra money and maybe a couple extra outfits, and be prepared for some cold weather," said Farnesi.