CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With Hurricane Helene approaching landfall in Florida, flights are beginning to get impacted across the country.
As of Thursday at 7 p.m., Charlotte Douglas International Airport has 69 delays and 6 cancellations according to FlightAware data. For context, CLT typically sees anywhere from 600 to 700 daily departures.
Across the country, there are hundreds of delays and cancellations, mostly focused in the southeast and East Coast due to the major hurricane barreling down on the United States, which makes sense based on Helene's forecast track.
Forecasters say the storm is threatening a “catastrophic” storm surge in northwestern parts of Florida as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S. Landfall is expected Thursday evening. The governors of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia have all declared emergencies in their states.
"This is an unusually dangerous storm that threatens to bring heavy rain and potentially catastrophic flooding for central, and particular, western North Carolina," Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday. "When tropical weather crosses into our mountains, it can be deadly."
Some areas in western North Carolina could see over a foot of rain by the time Helene pushes out of the region on Friday. Cooper said crews are preparing for the worst, including flooding, tornadoes and landslides.
"Heavy rains and winds are coming: Beware and prepare," Cooper said. "Travel will be dangerous. Flooding is likely and we are preparing for unexpected conditions."
Cooper said he's activated 175 soldiers and airmen from the North Carolina National Guard to assist crews statewide. Swift water rescue crews and urban search teams have been deployed to western North Carolina where flooding is expected.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm due to potential impacts.
In the Pacific, former Hurricane John has strengthened back into a hurricane, threatening areas of Mexico’s western coast with flash flooding and mudslides.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.