More than 12,000 flights are delayed across the U.S. namely because of the high wind speeds and heavy rain falling after Hurricane Idalia made landfall early Wednesday morning as a Category 3 storm.
The arrivals board at the Tampa International Airport shows nothing but cancelled flights.
Tampa, St. Pete-Clearwater, Sarasota/Bradenton and Tallahassee airports announced closures due to the hurricane, according to the Federal Aviation Authority, though Peter-Clearwater said it plans to reopen Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Jacksonville International Airport is open but warned customers that cancellations are expected throughout the day.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Jacksonville International and Orlando International are also experiencing widespread delays and cancellations, according to FlightAware.
- That’s how many flights have been canceled so far Wednesday, including more than 190 set to take off from Tampa and another 146 set to land in Tampa, according to FlightAware.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall around 7:45 a.m. ET Wednesday morning in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 3 Hurricane. The National Hurricane Center warned winds could reach 125 mph in some areas and said some areas will face “catastrophic storm surge.” While the storm made landfall, and has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell warned extreme wind and rain is going to continue to affect the southeastern part of the U.S., including Georgia and South Carolina for the remainder of the day.
Category 3 Hurricane Idalia Smashes Into Florida (Photos) (Forbes)
Hurricane Idalia Makes Landfall In Florida’s Big Bend As Category 3 Storm (Forbes)