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Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled Wednesday as Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc across the Sunshine State — even causing a handful of airports to shutter as the storm battered the state.
Several major airports closed temporarily, including Tampa International, St. Pete-Clearwater International, Tallahassee International, and Gainesville Regional.
Tampa International was the most affected, with over 720 flights in and out of the airport canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
Hurricane Idalia made landfall just before 8 a.m. near Keaton Beach in Taylor County, rushing in with 125-mph winds as a Category 3 storm before weakening to a Category 2 an hour later.
Despite its downgrade, the National Hurricane Center still warned of ongoing “catastrophic storm surge.” Idalia’s maximum sustained winds are now 110 mph, down 15 mph from the 125-mph Category 3 gusts.
Across all airlines, over 3,700 flights into or out of the US were delayed Wednesday morning, while more than 1,000 were canceled altogether, according to Flight Aware.
The flight-tracking website showed that Southwest Airlines’ schedule was the most impacted, with over 600 cancellations and an additional 200 delays.
Other affected airlines include Delta, American Airlines and United, which each have between 70 and 170 cancellations and between 300 and 600 delays.
Several major airlines, including Southwest, Delta and United, have urged travelers moving within Idalia’s path to be wary of schedule changes and cancellations.
All Florida airports are urging travelers to check the status of their flights with their airline before they attempt to trek through Idalia to the airport.
Other airports have remained open, including Sarasota Bradenton International, Jacksonville International, Fort Meyers International and Orlando International. However, they have all warned that flight disruptions and delays are expected throughout the day.
Florida’s travel troubles come as Idalia pummels the state with damaging winds, heavy rains and an ongoing threat of storm surges up to 16 feet in places.
Nearly 270,000 Floridians were without power Wednesday as the storm closed in on the state, PowerOutage.us shows.
President Biden is expected to speak about the hurricane’s impact from the White House Wednesday afternoon.
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