There is a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Pennsylvania and Central New York as millions brace for severe weather threat in the Midwest and Northeast. Residents are preparing for severe thunderstorms with damaging winds possible, reports AFP.
Over 400 flights were canceled into and out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Saturday following an outbreak of severe weather and hail overnight.
Weather so far has forced 478 flight cancellations and 617 flight delays in and out of the airport.
Delta Air Lines, which has a major hub at Atlanta, is experiencing the most significant impact from the severe weather, with 542 cancellations and 684 delays on Saturday in total across the country.
Delta said it expects additional delays and cancellations as it works to recover from Friday’s storms in Atlanta, with teams resetting aircraft and flight crews completing required rest.
American Airlines has canceled 223 flights on Saturday across the U.S. as it works to recover from weather-related disruptions at Reagan National, Charlotte, and Dallas-Fort Worth on Friday.
Around 100 Delta Airlines aircraft were inspected overnight for possible damage from the hail that fell last night, with nearly all having returned to service Saturday, according to a spokesperson for Delta.
“Delta people are working as safely and quickly as possible to recover flights impacted by thunderstorms, lightning, hail and winds at our Atlanta hub Friday night. We thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding,” the airline spokesperson said.
“Intense thunderstorms, including one that brought reports of microburst winds and quarter-inch hail to our hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, drove more than 90 diversions to other airports in the U.S. Southeast and a pause in airport operations for safety reasons the evening of June 27,” the spokesperson added.
Severe weather conditions in the area led to ground stops and flights being diverted at the airport on Friday.
The air traffic control tower that manages aircraft around the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta was briefly evacuated Friday evening due to “strong winds,” according to the FAA.
The tower was not unstaffed during this time as few controllers stayed back to handle the air traffic in the area, the agency said.
In ATC recordings, controllers can be heard telling pilots that they evacuated due to weather and there are three personnel in the tower—controller, supervisor and traffic management.
