Thousands of flights delayed across US, one dead in deadly tornado as storms hit holiday travellers

Severe weather disrupted holiday travel on Saturday (Dec 28) across the US with deadly tornadoes in the southeast and heavy snow and wind on the west coast, delaying or cancelling thousands of flights across the country.

More than 7,000 flights in the US were delayed on Saturday, according to the tracking site FlightAware, and more than 200 were canceled.

About a third of the flights were delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, according to FlightAware, and nearly half of the flights originating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were delayed.

At least 10 tornadoes touched down in the southeastern US states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Saturday, leaving one person dead near Houston, the National Weather Service and local law enforcement said.

“Those numbers will probably go up,” said forecaster Aaron Gleason, with the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.

The one death and four injuries were reported Saturday in Brazoria County, Texas, about 72km south of Houston, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials say that many homes and schools were severely damaged or destroyed. Images on social media show scattered ruins of homes and snapped trees and utility poles strewn across streets and lawns.