Thousands of flights at three Texas airports were canceled on Tuesday amid a major storm that caused “extremely hazardous” travel conditions in the Houston region.
An alert issued late Monday night by the Houston Airport System said, “To prioritize the safety of our passengers and staff, and due to extremely hazardous road conditions throughout Houston, flight operations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), and Ellington Airport (EFD) are temporarily suspended during the winter storm, effective 12:00 AM on Tuesday, January 21.”
The Houston Airport System’s alert noted that airline travelers with scheduled flights would be required to contact their airline to rebook flights and that travelers “must refrain from driving to the airports.
“While there are no departing or arriving flights, our dedicated teams remain on-site 24/7, working diligently to prepare for a swift and safe return to normal operation,” the Houston Airport System said. “Houston Airports is deploying snowplows and heavy machinery to clear the airfield and prepare for a safe return to operations as soon as weather conditions allow.”
READ MORE: Marine vet kicked off flight for ‘threatening’ shirt: Report
The Houston Airport System added that it was “closing monitoring weather conditions” to decide when it would be safe to reopen the Houston airfield and resume flight operations in the region.
Both the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and the William P. Hobby Airport posted their own alerts on X, formerly Twitter, urging travelers not to “attempt to travel to the airport after this time.”
According to FlightAware.com, 93% of the flights at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport were canceled as of early Monday morning, while roughly 94% of the flights at the William P. Hobby Airport were canceled.
Fox Business reported that the airport warnings were issued after a winter storm produced heavy snow in the Houston region and in other areas along Interstate 10. The outlet noted that the National Weather Service also warned that wind gusts of roughly 35 mph could create “hazardous conditions to anyone exposed outdoors for extended periods of time.”
On Monday night, the National Weather Service’s office in Fort Worth, Texas, warned, “Bitterly cold conditions will return tonight as wind chills dip into the single digits to lower teens. The Cold Weather Advisory will continue through Tuesday morning.
