TAMPA, Fla. — Thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed Monday as forecasts warned of destructively strong storms, including tornadoes, hail and lightning, and residents were warned to stay indoors and prepare for the worst.
Rain began falling in the Washington area shortly after 5 p.m., and the skies gradually turned an ominous dark gray, a precursor to the severe weather and mass power outages that were predicted.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the greater D.C. area, lasting until 9 p.m., as well as a flood warning extending through Tuesday morning. A special Weather Service statement warned, “There is a significant threat for damaging and locally destructive hurricane-force winds, along with the potential for large hail and tornadoes, even strong tornadoes.”
The storms' spread was massive, with tornado watches and warnings posted across 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The National Weather Service said the area of greatest concern centered in the Washington-Baltimore region.
By late Monday afternoon, more than 1,300 U.S. flights had been canceled and 5,500 delayed, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. More than a quarter of the cancellations were at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was digging out from disruptions caused by Sunday storms.
And if you're flying out soon in the Tampa Bay area, you may run into the same problem.
Tampa International Airport has had 164 flight delays and 21 cancellations as of Monday evening, according to FlightAware.
Those who have a flight scheduled for Monday evening are asked to check with their airline for any information regarding delays or cancellations.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was rerouting planes around storms heading to the East Coast and warned it would likely start pausing flights in and out of the New York City area, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte and Atlanta.
“This does look to be one of the most impactful severe weather events across the Mid-Atlantic that we have had in some time,” National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Strong said in a Facebook live briefing.