More than 16,000 U.S. flights were delayed or canceled on March 16 as powerful storms disrupted airline operations and triggered ground delays at major airports.
Flight-tracking site FlightAware showed that 11,752 flights to, from, or within the United States were delayed, while another 4,681 flights were canceled on March 16.
About 54 percent of flights scheduled to depart Chicago O'Hare International Airport were delayed, along with 59 percent of departures at Hartsfield-Jackson International, according to the flight monitor.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a post on X that severe weather on the East Coast had triggered flight delays and cancellations across many airports and advised travelers to check their flight status.
Citing high winds and severe thunderstorms, the aviation regulator ordered delays at the New York City area’s three airports—New York’s LaGuardia and JFK and Newark airport in New Jersey—as well as at Reagan Washington National Airport, Orlando, airports at Charlotte and Atlanta, and Houston’s Bush airport.
Richmond Airport said in an update that it is closely monitoring weather conditions and working to mitigate their impact in order to ensure smooth operations at the airport.
“There is a high risk for severe weather in Central Virginia today. Thunderstorms, destructive winds, and tornadoes are possible. If you are traveling, please check with your airline for potential delays and [cancellations],” it stated.
Miami International Airport posted on X that “a massive weather system” is causing flight delays and cancellations across parts of the country, and that it is working with airlines to reduce disruptions.
The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Weather Prediction Center said that “blizzard conditions continued today across portions of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes,” with 25–35 inches of snow reported in southeastern Minnesota, central Wisconsin, and northern Michigan as of 10 a.m. CT on March 16.
NWS said in a separate update that more than 34 million people were under tornado watches from Florida to the Northeast as of 12.30 p.m. ET on March 16.
“Multiple rounds of severe storms through this evening will yield potential for scattered to widespread damaging winds and a few strong tornadoes from the Carolinas into the Mid-Atlantic States,” it stated.
The flight disruptions came amid an ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has left about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working without pay.
“Americans—who live in your districts and home states—are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown,” they said.
The previous government shutdown last fall, which broke records and lasted 43 days, caused mass flight disruptions and forced the FAA to order 10 percent flight reductions at major airports nationwide.
