A powerful winter storm sweeping through the southern United States caused widespread travel chaos on Friday, with over 3,000 flights cancelled and thousands more delayed, according to airline reports and the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Delta Air Lines cited an unexpectedly severe mix of winter weather as the reason for halting operations at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where all five runways were shut down for more than two hours.
“Delta cancelled approximately 1,100 flights across our network,” the airline stated, adding that recovery efforts were underway to stabilize operations for Saturday. In one incident involving the storm, more than 200 passengers and crew aboard a Delta Boeing 757-300 were evacuated using emergency slides, according to US media reports.
Major Airports Impacted
The storm also disrupted operations at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas and Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. FlightAware reported that more than 1,200 flights were cancelled between the two hubs.
Nationwide, the storm contributed to over 3,000 cancellations on Friday, with ripple effects expected to extend into the weekend.
Earlier Storm Woes
This latest disruption follows a winter storm earlier in the week that devastated parts of the central and eastern United States. That system left at least five people dead, grounded hundreds of flights, and caused temperatures to plunge below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18°C) in some areas. Tens of thousands of residents also endured power outages as icy conditions strained electrical grids.
As travelers face mounting delays and cancellations, airlines and airports are working to mitigate the storm’s impact while meteorologists warn of continued weather-related disruptions in the days ahead.
