Flights canceled at Phoenix Sky Harbor as Gulf Coast prepares for winter storm
PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) — Heads up, travelers! Flight delays and cancellations have been reported at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as the Gulf Coast was pummeled with a rare winter storm with heavy snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.
As of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, there were 15 canceled and 16 delayed flights at Sky Harbor. Southwest Airlines recorded the most cancelations and delays, with weather impacting over a dozen flights.
Most flights that were canceled included destinations that were hit with a heavy winter storm on Wednesday, including Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans and Denver.
The winter storm slammed Texas and blanketed the northern Gulf Coast as record-breaking snow moved east overnight, spreading heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and eastern Carolinas. Tuesday’s snowfall also set a record in New Orleans, where it had been over a decade since snow last fell.
On Tuesday, Sky Harbor reported 36 canceled flights on various airlines, including American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Many of these destinations were cities in Texas, such as San Antonio and Houston, where a winter storm hit. Flights to New Orleans and Philadelphia have also been canceled.
Sky Harbor also reported about 34 delayed flights.
The storm scattered heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain around the Deep South as a blast of Arctic air plunged much of the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.
Nearly 2,000 flights within the U.S. or entering or leaving the country were canceled Tuesday, and about 10,000 more flights were delayed, according to the online tracker FlightAware.com. In Texas, both Houston airports said that flight operations would be suspended starting Tuesday in expectation of hazardous conditions.
Click here to see if the winter weather has impacted your travel plans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
