BOSTON (WHDH) -- The blizzard expected to dump two feet of snow on much of New England caused canceled flights Friday before snowflakes even started falling.

Airlines canceled more than 4,200 flights through Saturday, and New York City's three major airports and Boston's Logan Airport began shutting down in the afternoon on Friday.

“As the temperatures drop and the winds pick up and the snow rate picks up, that’s when we get our plows out on the surfaces and continue to keep the runways clear and taxiways clear and ready when airlines begin to start up their operations,” said Ed Freni, Massport Director of Aviation.

Airport officials praised airlines for warning passengers early. So instead of the usual weary travelers draped over Logan’s plastic chairs, most passengers simply stayed home.

The snowplows, costing $ 1 million, will try to keep the runways clear so when the planes do start flying again, there won’t be a massive cleanup.

There will be no flights in or out of Logan Airport until at least Sunday.

Officials told 7News operations won’t be back to normal to at least Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.