Hurricane Idalia Update: Flight Cancellations, Airport Closures

As Hurricane Idalia barrels toward Florida's western shore, airlines and airports have begun to cancel flights and announce closures en masse.

As of Tuesday morning, Idalia had strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane, with experts predicting that it could end up as strong as a Category 3 by the time it makes landfall. On its current trajectory, the storm is expected to hit Florida's Gulf Coast by Wednesday morning, with the center predicted to pass over the Cedar Key region to the north and heavy impacts being felt as far south as Tampa Bay. The storm's development has reportedly been spurred on by unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, a side effect of climate change.

Numerous Western Florida counties and local governments have already begun issuing mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders. Residents situated the closest to the shoreline and who live in mobile homes have received mandatory orders, while voluntary ones have been issued to those, like the elderly or those with special needs, who would be particularly imperiled by potential power outages.

According to a report from Forbes, close to 500 flights to and from Tampa International Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday have already been canceled, as of Tuesday. Many more are expected to be canceled as the storm moves closer.

According to FlightAware, Southwest Airlines has been the most impacted by Idalia, with 144 cancellations as of Tuesday morning. United Airlines, Delta Airlines, and American Airlines have seen roughly 150 delays and close to 200 cancellations combined. United added a handful of flights in Orlando and Sarasota in advance of the storm's arrival to aid residents attempting to leave.

Tampa International closed down altogether as of midnight on Tuesday morning. Other airports in the metro area have followed suit with differing schedules. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, located across the bay from Tampa, will close down at 3 p.m. on Tuesday and remain closed for 24 hours. Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, situated to the south of Tampa, plans to remain open for the time being but has urged customers to check the status of their flights beforehand.

Elsewhere in Florida, the Orlando International Airport plans to remain open, as the storm is predicted to have less of an impact near Orlando, but will be closely monitoring the situation for developments. Delays and cancelations due to the storm remain likely, however.

"Our airport is open and operational," the airport posted to social media. "We continue to monitor the status of Hurricane #Idalia - we do not foresee any significant impact to our operations at this time. If operational changes occur, we'll post about it. Please check with your airline in regards to your flight."

In a statement to Newsweek, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) urged potential "travelers to check with airlines and with local listings as the status of services continues to rapidly change."

Updated 08/30/2023, 7:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with a response from the FDOT.