Thousands of flights canceled as Irma nears Atlanta

Thousands of flights have been canceled as a result of Hurricane Irma, which tore through Florida and is now moving toward Atlanta.

Delta Airlines has canceled about 900 flights, the airline said Monday, according to The Washington Post.

More than one-third of Delta flights canceled are from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, according to The Post.

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Delta said in a morning advisory that Atlanta’s five runways are “aligned with the prevailing wind, which generally blows from east to west.”

“Aircraft are best suited to take off and land into the wind for better performance. When the wind direction is perpendicular to the runway, it’s called a crosswind and can make landing challenging and potentially unsafe,” the advisory said.

“A slight crosswind is allowable and can be safely managed, but a 40 mph or greater crosswind, as the storm is expected to bring in Atlanta, may exceed allowable limits.”

Airports in Florida, including Miami International and Fort Lauderdale International, also reported hundreds of canceled flights over the weekend.

The airports said no flights will come in or go out on Monday as a result of the storm.

Miami International Airport said in an advisory that after damage assessment, officials will “determine if passenger flights will resume” Tuesday.

Fort Lauderdale Airport said in an advisory that the impacts of Irma are still being felt, adding that officials are working to restore the airport. It said operations are expected to resume Tuesday, but urged people to be patient.

The cancelations come as Irma tears through the region, bringing high winds and flooding to the area.

Irma made landfall twice Sunday, and it has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. On Monday, the storm was heading toward Georgia.

The storm left millions of people without power, and officials are still assessing its destruction.