Dallas Airport Issues Warning, 800 Flights Delayed as Storm To Last ‘Hours’

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday, and the storm causing the travel disruption is expected to last for "hours," a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist told Newsweek late Thursday morning.

As of Thursday just after noon Eastern time, 134 flights departing from DFW and 135 arrivals had been cancelled, according to data from flight-tracking platform FlightAware. Even more flights have been delayed—350 departures and 513 arrivals. Numerous NWS alerts have been issued across the Dallas metropolitan region, including flash flood warnings, flood warnings, flood watches and more. The excessive rain is caused by remnants of Hurricane Polo, which made landfall in Mexico earlier this week, and moisture from the Gulf colliding over the Lone Star State.

On Thursday morning, the DFW Airport warned travelers about the severe weather.

"Severe weather is impacting the DFW area. If you're flying today, please check your flight status and check the DFW Airport Mobile app for updates before heading to the airport and allow extra travel time," the airport posted on X.

The airport led the globe in the number of cancellations and delays, according to FlightAware.

The torrential downpours could last for hours, NWS meteorologist Daniel Fenske told Newsweek.

"The levels of moisture we’ve observed this morning are some of the highest we’ve ever seen for this time of year," Fenske said, adding that remnants from Hurricane Polo were contributing to excessive moisture in the mid- to upper-levels of the atmosphere, while moisture from the Gulf was contributing to moisture in the lower levels. A rainfall map on NWS Dallas' website showed that 3 or more inches of rain was expected to hit the DFW area through Friday evening.

"Showers and storms are ongoing this morning ahead of a nearly stalled front," the forecast said. "Heavy rain may lead to instances of flash flooding through much of the day. The threat will slowly progress eastward through the afternoon and into tonight. There will also be a risk for strong to isolated severe storms as they produce strong outflow winds. The threat will persist through tomorrow (Friday) as additional waves of heavy precipitation develop across eastern parts of North and Central Texas."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says that weather is the leading cause of flight delays and cancellations in the U.S. Weather was the reason for nearly 75 percent of flight delays between 2017 and 2023, according to FAA data. Rain can limit visibility, require more space between planes for safety, and can lead to dangerous runway conditions.

The worst airports for weather-related flight delays are Newark, LaGuardia, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Boston.

Forecasts anticipate that heavy rain is expected to continue over the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the next several hours at least. Fenske said a brief lull in the severe weather could be felt later in the day on Thursday before storms redevelop on Thursday night. More rain is expected to enter the region on Friday.

As for the weather alerts in place across the region, many of them will remain in place through late Thursday night or into Friday morning.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Skinner and Cristina Diciu.