Coach cabin of a United Airlines Boeing 757
It’s April, not December, but for many, the weather outside was frightful and it delayed thousands of flights in the period Friday through Sunday.
Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain in the Midwest and South spread into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, causing flash floods and storm damage.
Meanwhile, a tornado wreaked havoc in parts of New York State late Saturday as a line of thunderstorms lighted up the region, dumping heavy rain and causing flash flooding all night long, the National Weather Service said.
Sullivan County warned residents of the damage, which the weather service later confirmed had been caused by the tornado.
“Wires and trees are down in the Roscoe and Callicoon Center areas due to storm damage,” the county government said. “Avoid travel in that area tonight, as numerous roads are closed.”
In Callicoon Center, several people were reportedly trapped inside a home when it was hit by a possible tornado. Two barns at the Apple Pond Farm were also heavily damaged.
There were 17,651 flight delays into, within, and out of the United States for the period, with an additional 636 cancellations, as of 8 p.m. Sunday evening.
American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, was forced to delay a quarter of its flights on Friday – 816 to be exact – while Saturday brought 960 delays and Sunday 576.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines posted 1,450 and 1,836 flight delays, respectively, for the weekend, while airports in the Northeast felt the greatest impact, led by Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International, Boston Logan International, and LaGuardia airports.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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