to Bermuda yesterday after storms grounded many flights.

The chaos in Canada and the United States since Saturday came over the New Year's Day weekend -- traditionally regarded as one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

But airline officials last night were hoping more settled weather would continue today, allowing the backlog of passengers to disperse without any more delays to flights into or from Bermuda.

Royal Gazette reporter Nicole Williams Smith was among thousands of passengers trapped in Canada until yesterday after record snowfalls between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

She said in Toronto the snow was followed by freezing rain, ice pellets and winds gusting close to 45 kilometres per hour.

Many others were stranded along the US eastern seaboard and in the Midwest as airports -- packed full of tired, hungry crowds anxious to continue their journeys -- shut down flights.

In Toronto the province declared a 72-hour snow emergency after more than 15 inches of snow was dumped, making flying conditions impossible.

Air Canada alone cancelled more than 240 domestic and international flights.

Mrs. Williams Smith, traveling with her husband, said they were booked to leave Toronto on a US Airways Sunday morning flight to Philadelphia where they would connect with another flight to Bermuda.

But a massive snow storm which began on Saturday afternoon and continued until Sunday morning made it impossible to get to the Airport.

"We couldn't even get out of the front door,'' she said after reaching Bermuda safely. "The snow was up past our knees and on television they kept warning people not to try to drive.

"Then in the morning they said all early morning flights were cancelled.'' She said a call to the Bermuda office of US Airways resulted in their tickets home being re-booked on yesterday's flight through Baltimore.

"They were very helpful. Before it was sorted out we were really worried but they just re-booked us without any trouble.

"We met some people in Toronto at the airport who had been there trying to get out since Saturday.'' "Some people were really starting to show the stress of all the delays -- shouting and getting really ragged.'' On her flight yesterday there were at least another eight people who were meant to fly to Bermuda over the weekend but had to rework their plans to allow for the crazy weather.

Flights from other cities including Atlanta, Detroit, Buffalo and Chicago's O'Hare Airport -- the busiest airport in the US -- were also cancelled.

Spokeswomen from Delta, US Airways, Air Canada and American Airlines said they were not expecting any delays today for flights into or from Bermuda.