Wild weather is everywhere, and travellers in Canada and the U.S. are paying the price.
YYC was hit by a major thunderstorm late on the night of 05AUG, with heavy rains and giant hailstones pelting the area.
Writing on its X/Twitter social media feed, Fly YYC said early on 06AUG that parts of the domestic terminal building will be remain closed until further notice due to water damage. TV footage showed flooded concourses and numerous water buckets catching water dripping from the ceilings.
“We anticipate seeing delays to inbound and outbound flights as a result of heavy rain and hail at YYC,” the airport said on its website. “Please check with your airline for flight updates.”
Later on 06AUG, YYC officials said they had shifted operations to other parts of the airport.
"Flights remain operational at YYC following the water damage from the #abstorm to parts of the terminal building (B and C gates) yesterday evening. While these areas remain closed, we've shifted operations to other gates," they said on X/Twitter. "We understand the impact this weather event has had on our guests and partners and are working closely with partners to adapt and minimize disruptions."
WestJet, the busiest airline at YYC, said on its site that it was offering a free, one-time fee waiver for changes or cancellations on flights in and out of Calgary.
As of 3 p.m. Mountain Time on 06AUG, Flight Aware was reporting 44 outbound flights and 52 inbound flights had been cancelled at YYC. The site showed 67 cancelled WestJet flights.
Meanwhile, Debby continues to dominate the U.S. Southeast after whipping her way across Florida and Georgia.
A tornado watch has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center for more than 1.9 million people in coastal South Carolina and North Carolina until 5 p.m. ET on 06AUG. The watch area includes Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and also Wilmington, North Carolina.
The SPC warned that “Instability will be greatest near the coast, supporting occasional supercells with a tornado threat.”
Van Johnson, the mayor of coastal Savannah, Georgia, told CNN he is “terrified” as the city braces for “a night of extensive raining and flooding” — an event he believes could be catastrophic for the city.
Flight Aware reported that around 600 flights were cancelled in and out of MIA, TPA, and MCO on O4AUG, as well as at JAX. That figure rose to roughly 650 on 05AUG.
CBS News reported that some stranded travellers slept in the airport's hallways while others booked nearby hotels. Many spent long hours in customer service lines trying to figure out what was next.
In a story posted on cruise.blog on 05AUG, it was stated that four cruise ships have had changes made to their original itinerary due to Debby. Two—Margaritaville at Sea's Islander and Carnival Paradise—are unable to return to the Port of Tampa.
