Hundreds of Flights Canceled as Hurricane Dorian Approaches U.S. Coast

Hundreds of flights have been canceled due to Hurricane Dorian’s looming threat to the U.S. east coast, USA Today reports.

While the Orlando International Airport reversed its original plan to shut down Monday, many individual airlines are canceling flights to and from the hub. There are also reports of mass cancelations at the Orlando Sanford International Airport and the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, according to FlightAware, the USA Today reported:

Airlines have canceled 600 Monday flights because of Hurricane Dorian as of 6 p.m. Eastern, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

There are 227 flight cancellations to and from Orlando’s main airport and an additional 62 to and from Orlando Sanford International Airport, a big base for Allegiant Air, according to FlightAware.

At Fort Lauderdale International Airport, home to big operations for Southwest, Spirit and JetBlue, cancellations to and from the airport topped 160.

Palm Beach International Airport also shut down on Labor Day in anticipation of the storm, and Daytona International Airport is expected to do the same:

According to the NBC-affiliate WESH, the number of canceled flights is quickly approaching 1,000.

The massive and slow-moving storm has pummeled the Bahamas, with the storm surge topping 20 feet in some areas. Videos show Dorian’s path of destruction, with cars toppled over, power lines snapped, and buildings utterly destroyed:

Watches and warnings are in effect for the east coast of Florida. The National Hurricane Center warned of “life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds along portions of the Florida east coast” and said there is an “increasing likelihood of strong winds and dangerous storm surge” along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas later in the week.

Hurricane Dorian’s forecast, however, remains largely uncertain. While the storm is currently expected to skirt the east coast, a wiggle to the west could spell even greater trouble for coastal communities:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is continuing to urge Floridians to heed the warnings of local officials.

“As we continue to monitor #Dorian, all Floridians should follow local reports and all evacuation orders,” he wrote.

“We are ready to deploy assets as needed and will continue to monitor traffic and fuel levels as more counties come under hurricane watches & warnings,” he added: