ATLANTA — As of 8:45 a.m. Friday, over 200 flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were canceled, with more than 170 delayed, according to FlightAware. By 1:15 p.m., cancellations rose to nearly 250, with 406 delays reported. 

The majority of affected flights were operated by Delta Air Lines, Atlanta's primary carrier. Delta attributed the disruptions to severe summer weather impacting operations. Thunderstorms along the East Coast caused widespread issues Thursday, grounding flights and stranding passengers nationwide, with significant effects at Atlanta's airport. A ground stop in Atlanta led to delays exceeding two hours. By late afternoon Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration reported average departure delays of 30 minutes and rising, warning that further ground stops or delay programs could be implemented depending on weather developments. 

Nationwide, FlightAware recorded over 28,000 delays on Thursday, including more than 7,000 flights within, into, or out of the U.S., with 1,803 cancellations, 1,448 of which were U.S.-based. In Atlanta, 424 flights were delayed and 53 canceled by Thursday evening. Delta reported 274 delays and 18 cancellations at Hartsfield-Jackson. 

Other airlines, including Southwest (44 delays, 10 cancellations) and Frontier (23 delays, 11 cancellations), also faced disruptions. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for real-time updates.