World’s busiest airport faces shocking storm disruptions

More than 2,600 flights were canceled or delayed nationwide because of severe thunderstorms in Georgia yesterday. Lightning, fierce winds and heavy rain caused the Federal Aviation Administration to declare an immediate ground stop, temporarily blocking flights to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The storms formed as a cold front pushed south and collided with warm air from the Gulf Coast, fueling heavy rain and thunderstorms across much of the South. Storm conditions are expected to linger around Atlanta through Tuesday.

At least 2,626 flights, both domestic and international, were delayed Sunday, while another 156 were canceled, according to FAA’s flight-tracking data. 

Atlanta bore the brunt of the chaos, recording 313 delays and 54 cancellations as storms snarled operations at the world’s busiest airport. 

The turmoil stretched far beyond Georgia. JFK reported 139 delays and 26 cancellations, while Philadelphia, Boston, Denver and San Diego were among the other major airports dealing with disruptions. 

Southwest, American and Delta were among the hardest-hit carriers, each reporting hundreds of delays respectively.

“We’ve been in sky limbo for an hour,” one traveler wrote, claiming their plane was forced to divert to another state because it was “running outta gas.” 

Another passenger said his group was supposed to reach Miami at 11:20 a.m. after connecting through Atlanta, but by 7 p.m. they were still waiting to leave, nearly eight hours behind schedule. He described his group getting bumped from two standby flights, losing seats on another and having to watch their replacement departure get pushed from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The delays came at an especially bad time for Atlanta, with thousands of domestic and international visitors expected ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

The tournament has already brought more than 10 million fans to its 11 US host cities, placing added pressure on airports already dealing with the busy summer travel season.

The travel headaches may not be over, with continued thunderstorms forecast across the region through Tuesday. Some could turn severe, bringing damaging winds, frequent lightning and heavy rain. Stormy conditions, including humidity and increased cloud cover, are expected to persist through the rest of the week.

With more storms in the South, travelers nationwide should brace for another possible round of delays and cancelations in the days ahead.