by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:25 AM ET, Tue August 8, 2023
Summer storms are likely going to get worse as the Earth continues warming, leading weather experts to warn that more weather-related travel delays and cancellations are going to be on the rise in the summers to come.
According to CBS News’ Southern Colorado affiliate, KOAA, the news follows Monday’s travel woes, when three major New York-area airports had issued ground stops due to strong winds. The day totalled 7,500 flight delays and nearly 1,500 cancellations.
"You have more warmth and you have more energy and you have more potential for what we call thunderstorms or organized thunderstorms," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) meteorologist Alex Tardy. "You also can make the case we have more potential for stronger, deeper, more powerful hurricanes as well, if and when they form, because we're not just talking about land that's warmer than average like we had in July, but we're talking about oceans that are warmer than average beyond just July, extending you know, years back."
Tardy suggests travelers avoid afternoon flights if they’re worried about weather issues, as 2:00 p.m. is the normal peak in thunderstorm activity. Red-eyes and morning flights are better to avoid any potential bad weather during the summer.
It’s not just air travel that’s being impacted by stronger storms.
As the globe continues warming, warmer ocean temperatures will also lead to more or stronger hurricanes and tropical storms. This week, the National Hurricane Center is tracking four waves that could become hurricanes soon.
Wildfires and their impact, usually in the form of thick, visibility-hampering smoke, has also been an issue in both Europe and North America this summer, delaying flights, calling ground stops at certain airports and even, in the case of the Greek island of Rhodes, leading to an all-out evacuation of both residents and tourists just last month.
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