Another winter storm is brewing for the Gulf Coast. Up to four inches of snow are forecast for Houston overnight Monday into Tuesday.
As a result, both major airports in the city, George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby, plan to close temporarily starting at midnight Tuesday. The airport operators said the decision is in response to anticipated hazardous road conditions.
“While there will be no departing or arriving flights, our dedicated teams will remain on-site 24-7, working diligently to prepare for a swift and safe return to normal operations when weather permits,” the airport authority said in a statement. “Houston Airports will deploy snowplows and heavy machinery to clear the airfield and prepare for a safe return to operations as soon as weather conditions allow.”
As of 7:56 p.m. ET on Monday, there were 901 flights canceled in the U.S., but airlines preemptively canceled more flights for Tuesday, according to FlightAware. United Airlines, which operates a major base in Houston, already planned to cancel 497 flights on Tuesday. Southwest, which has a large operation in Houston as well, also plans to cancel about 409 flights on Tuesday. All told, there were more than 1,700 planned cancellations on Tuesday before 8 p.m. ET on Monday.
The following airlines issued waivers for select airports along the Gulf Coast. Check with your airline for more details about rebooking opportunities if your flight might be affected.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
