What Travelers Need to Know as Hurricane Isaias Nears the Gulf Coast

Hurricane Isaias could disrupt travel plans across the Southeast this weekend, as the Category 3 storm bears down on the western Florida Panhandle. As of Friday afternoon, flight cancellations were limited to smaller airports in the Panhandle, according to the tracking service FlightAware. Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport suspended operations Thursday night; Pensacola International Airport , Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport and Gulf Shores International Airport in Alabama all closed on Friday. While the hurricane had not caused notable delays or cancellations at larger transportation hubs in the region Friday afternoon, experts said that could change when the storm makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration warned that the storm could affect travel along the Gulf Coast and across the Southeast through the weekend. The agency said thunderstorm-related delays were also possible on Friday at major airports in Florida, including Orlando International, Tampa International and Miami International. The storm could affect two other major Southeastern hubs, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, starting late Friday through Saturday, said Dan DePodwin, the vice president of AccuWeather’s forecasting operations. Mr. DePodwin said he expected heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour in Atlanta to force a “good number” of delays and cancellations. Disruptions should be less severe in Charlotte, he said. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .