Thousands of weekend flights cancelled, delayed amid deadly storms

Nearly 1,800 flights were canceled and thousands more were delayed in the U.S. over the weekend as severe storms battered states in the midwest and south, leaving more than 30 people dead.

According to online flight tracker FlightAware, 796 scheduled flights in the U.S. were canceled on Sunday and another 974 on Saturday. Thousands more flights were delayed: 8,555 on Sunday and 4,401 on Saturday.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport saw the most flights cancelled on Sunday, with 86, and Minneapolis−St. Paul International Airport had the most cancellations on Saturday, with 71. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport were also among the most impacted.

The flight cancellations come as severe storms ripped through parts of central and southern U.S. over the weekend, with tornadoes believed to have hit at least eight states.

Thirty-two people were confirmed dead as a result of the severe storms, according to the Associated Press.

President Biden approved on Sunday a disaster declaration for Arkansas, where at least five people were killed by the severe weather. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) declared a state of emergency on Friday and activated the state’s National Guard. 

“There’s nothing we can do to heal the hole left in the hearts of far too many families who lost loved ones this weekend, but we will be there every step of the way as they rebuild and recover,” Biden said in a statement.