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Mar 18, 2008 10:25 pm US/Central
Rain Brings Air Traffic At DFW To A Crawl
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News / AP) ―
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High water slowed some drivers down at Stemmons and Walnut Hill in Dallas about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
KTVT / KTXA
A series of storms packing strong winds and heavy rains hit North Texas on Tuesday, grounding hundreds of flights and forcing an airport control tower to evacuate briefly.
Winds of more than 100 mph briefly were reported at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where lightning struck a ramp earlier Tuesday. Airport officials said the strongest winds occurred in microbursts and caused no damage.
More than half of the 950 flights for all airlines scheduled to depart DFW on Tuesday were canceled, airport officials said. More than 100 incoming flights were diverted.
"This is one of the most vicious thunderstorms DFW has seen in quite some time, especially its ongoing intensity," said airport spokesman Ken Capps. "Add in two snow storms in the past two weeks and this has been one of the most unusual early spring weather patterns in years. We know it can be frustrating for passengers, but everyone's top priority is their safety."
It's unclear how many travelers were affected by the cancellations, but airport officials estimate about 160,000 passengers pass through DFW each day.
While flights are taking off and landing again, airline employees are working hard to get all the stranded passengers back on track. Many people are spending the night at the airport, hoping to get out first thing in the morning. But some won't be able to fly out for days.
Meanwhile, American Airlines is busing passengers in from other cities in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma so they can catch flights in the morning. Concession stands will be open through the night to help people sleeping at the airport.
Earlier Tuesday, FAA officials evacuated DFW's west tower for about 15 minutes after seeing a funnel cloud over a highway. A funnel cloud was also spotted over Lake Lewisville, just north of the airport.
By Tuesday evening, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was accepting about 50 arrivals and departures per hour. Normally, more than 120 flights arrive and depart the airport's seven runways every hour, the airport said in a news release.
"All airlines at DFW will be working overnight to rebuild their schedules and delays and cancellations during this 'catch up' period should be expected," Capps said.
The airlines are expected to have 11 cancellations Wednesday morning.
At Dallas Love Field, some 20 Southwest flights were canceled. Another 20 were diverted and many other flights were delayed, at most for three hours, said airline spokeswoman Ashley Rogers.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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