FAA warns thunderstorms could have big impact on East Coast flights

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday that storms headed for the East Coast will “likely” pause departures in and out of airports along the East Coast as airports in the region are already seeing hundreds of cancellations and delays.

The FAA said it is rerouting aircraft around the storms and “will likely have to pause departures in an out of East Coast airports,” including in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Atlanta. 

According to FlightAware, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta currently has the most reported changes to flights, with 135 cancellations and 395 delays as of 5:05 p.m. Monday. FlightAware reported Delta Air Lines cancelled the most flights compared to other airlines as of 5:05 p.m., with 334 cancellations and 816 delays. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) said “dangerous storms” with strong winds, hail and a few tornadoes are “likely” Monday afternoon and evening across parts of the mid-Atlantic. 

A tornado watch is in effect in Washington, D.C., Delaware, New Jersey and parts of Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania, according to the NWS. Wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour and hail 1.5 inches in diameter can be expected, the NWS said. 

Federal workers in the D.C. area were authorized to leave their workplaces two hours earlier than normal because of the storms. Employees were told to leave government buildings no later than 3 p.m. EDT, according to a release from the U.S. Office of Personal Management. 

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

A severe thunderstorm watch is also in effect for other parts of the country including portions of Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado.