Hurricane Idalia causes airport disruptions ahead of holiday weekend
More than 800 flights were canceled across the United States.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning in Florida's Big Bend area, north of Tampa, as a powerful category 3 storm.
More than 800 flights were canceled across the U.S. as Idalia churned closer to the coast. So far, there were 25 cancellations on Wednesday morning at Philadelphia International Airport.
SEE ALSO: Idalia strengthens to a hurricane as Florida residents plan escape from Gulf Coast
NOAA
American Airlines and Frontier currently have the most cancellations out of Philadelphia to Tampa now that the airport is closed.
Passengers in Philadelphia will be paying close attention to what happens with Southwest Airlines because it's the busiest carrier in Tampa, and disruptions there will be felt nationwide.
The FAA is already warning about major disruptions across the country, including in Orlando and Atlanta.
Lisa Crawford was at PHL Tuesday trying to get home to Jacksonville before the storm makes landfall.
And Jennifer Norton says she was hoping to spend her last days of summer in Orlando.
"We're a little nervous about the hurricane. We are heading to Orlando, we are going to a Disney resort," she said.
Depending on the path of the storm and its severity, PHL says to expect more flight disruptions in other states.
"It's a possibility that more flights can be canceled or delayed at other locations in Florida and into South Carolina and Georgia," said Redfern.
The FAA is also saying Denver could see a high number of delays since that is a major connecting point for flights to and from the west.
As seen with previous storms, airlines will be scrambling to find ways to move planes and flight crews to where they need to be nationwide.
When it comes to dealing with the aftermath, large regions are preparing to need a lot of help after the storm passes, so rescue teams like New Jersey Task Force 1 are being called upon to help.
Officials said 45 personnel and 16 vehicles are on the road right now heading to Columbia, South Carolina.
They'll be staged there and ready to respond when needed.
Action News will stay on top of developments at PHL as the storm impacts airports down south.
