Heavy rains, floods in Florida cause mass flight cancellations & delays

Travellers at South Florida’s two major airports faced more delays and cancellations on Thursday (June 13) after a state of emergency was declared due to heavy rains and flash flooding.

According to reporting from the Miami Herald, the Miami International Airport cancelled 284 flights and delayed another 132 as of 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport cancelled 90 flights — 52 arrivals and 38 departures — and delayed 106 — 45 arrivals and 61 departures — by 4 p.m. Thursday.

Affected destinations include Boston; Guatemala City; Dallas/Forth Worth; Charlotte/Douglas International Airport; Richmond, Virginia; Atlanta; San Francisco; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Kingston, Jamaica.

According to reporting from the Associated Press, more than 50 centimeters of rain has fallen in the region since Tuesday and more is expected over the next few days.

Flooding caused by the downpour also blocked roads, left vehicles floating and even delayed the Florida Panthers as they tried to reach their Stanley Cup games in Canada against the Edmonton Oilers.

For FAA traffic management initiatives relating to weather conditions in South Florida, click here.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.