Hurricane Hilary disrupts 6,000+ US flights.
More than 6,000 flights were delayed or canceled across the United States because of Hurricane Hilary, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded.
By the morning of Aug. 20, the hurricane had weakened to a tropical storm, making it the first tropical storm to hit California in 84 years, as reported by CBS News.
The tropical storm made landfall in California on the afternoon of Aug. 20 and then moved to the Southwest, where it was expected to bring a year’s worth of rain to Nevada and Arizona.
Catastrophic flash-flood alerts were issued for mountainous and desert areas, such as Nevada and parts of California, where the main concerns were debris flows and mudslides.
On Aug. 20, a total of 5,239 flights were delayed and 1,055 flights were canceled due to Hilary, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.
US Airports Grapple with Thousands of Flight Cancellations and Delays
Airports in the Southwestern United States bore the brunt of the delays and cancellations, caused by heavy rain and strong winds in the region.
“You have to remember this portion of the country is not accustomed to the amount of rainfall, wind, and possible thunderstorms like the rest of the country might be,” the Federal Aviation Administration wrote in a social media post on Aug. 20.
San Diego International Airport experienced 252 cancellations that day, accounting for over 70 percent of its flights, as reported by FlightAware.
The airport also reported that 37 percent of departures and 41 percent of arrivals were canceled in the aftermath of Hilary.
Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas had 348 canceled flights, which represented more than 40 percent of its total flights on the same day.
It had the highest percentage of cancellations among all airports in the country, with at least 20 percent of departures and 22 percent of arrivals affected.
Other airports in the Southwestern United States were also heavily impacted by cancellations as the storm swept through the area.
Hollywood Burbank Airport, formerly known as Bob Hope Airport, reported cancellations for 41 percent of departures and arrivals.
Orange County’s John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, saw 20 percent of departures and 21 percent of arrivals canceled.
Los Angeles International Airport experienced relatively fewer flight disruptions due to the storm, with only 3 percent of departures and 4 percent of arrivals canceled, and 11 percent of departures and 10 percent of arrivals delayed.
Further north, Sacramento International Airport had 24 percent of departures and 18 percent of arrivals canceled, while Oakland International Airport had 18 percent of departures and arrivals affected.
Southwest Airlines Takes the Biggest Hit from the Tropical Storm
According to Business Insider, major airlines, including Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, were severely impacted by the storm.
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