As major Texas cities brace for flooding rains amid a rare July cold front, there are reports of some travelers stranded on tarmacs for hours.
The Federal Aviation Administration warns that several major airports in the Lone Star State could see ground stops or delays until 11 p.m. Monday night, July 13, as severe weather brews overhead.
“We are on Flight 2613, and we have now been stuck on the tarmac in San Antonio for more than two hours with no food service and very little meaningful communication,” a frustrated flyer wrote on Facebook.
As of late Monday afternoon, FlightAware shows about a quarter of flights out of San Antonio International Airport are delayed. More than half of flights heading into Dallas from San Antonio, 66% of planes landing at Dallas Love Field and 57% going into Dallas-Fort Worth International have been delayed.
According to the same website, nearly 900 flights in and out of DFW have been delayed. Another 47 have been canceled.
Both the major Dallas airports are subject to a ground stop and delay until 11 p.m. Monday due to thunderstorms moving in. The San Antonio airport is also at risk of seeing a ground stop until 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to an FAA operations plan.
As of 3:25 p.m., the FAA reported the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was seeing delays of 15 minutes and climbing due to weather issues. Dallas Love Field was seeing 30-minute delays. But a total ground stop as storms approach could spell much longer wait times or canceled flights.
Flood watches have been issued across several major Texas cities. The National Weather Service warns North Texas towns could see hail, flooding rains and strong to severe winds. In San Antonio, a flood watch is in effect from 9 p.m. Monday through 7 p.m. Thursday evening.
While delays in North Texas spike, the San Antonio airport addressed issues previously impacting their flights. SAT spokesperson Tonya Hope told MySA:
“SAT was experiencing flight delays due to Air Traffic Control having an issue with its air conditioning system. Those issues have been resolved and operation has resumed.”
This article originally published at Texas airports could halt flights as strong storms barrel across the state.