Airports across the country are experiencing a mass wave of flight disruptions thanks to severe weather and poor air quality resulting in delays and cancellations.
The travel issues started over the weekend, as FlightAware reports that 2,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday and Sunday, with another 8,800 flights being delayed and 2,200 canceled on Monday.
Thunderstorms were a leading factor in flight issues on Tuesday, which had more than 7,700 delays and 2,800 cancellations, but the troubles have continued into Wednesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA shared that low clouds and thunderstorms may impact flights at airports in “New York (JFK, EWR, LGA), Washington, DC (DCA, BWI, IAD), Boston (BOS), Philadelphia (PHL), Chicago (ORD, MDW), Minneapolis (MSP), Dallas (DAL, DFW), Central Florida (TPA, MCO), and South Florida (FLL, MIA, PBI).”
It also reported that wind was affecting travel in Las Vegas and that low clouds were affecting airports in San Francisco, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.
Cancellations and delays in Detroit and Chicago on Wednesday were partly attributed to poor air quality as Canadian wildfires continue to blaze north of the border.
The wildfires have been blazing for some time now, but recent fires have pushed air quality in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis to some of the worst in the country.
News Talk 830 WCCO Meteorologist Paul Douglas shared on Wednesday that the fires are raging across Canada, noting that it is “unusual” that it’s happening “from coast to coast.”
“Canada is pretty much on fire,” Douglas shared. “Of course, much of the time we are downwind. Usually, that pays benefits with clean Canadian air, cooler fronts, more comfortable. But in this case, this summer, it proves to be a negative.”
The delays and cancellations could be a bad omen for the upcoming holiday weekend as travelers across the country get ready to venture out for the Fourth of July.
As of noon EST on Wednesday, there were more than 2,300 delays across the U.S. and more than 1,400 cancellations, according to FlightAware.
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