Tropical Depression Cindy: 5 ways the storm will impact local travel

As Tropical Depression Cindy moves across the South, flooding and heavy rains are likely to impact travel plans throughout the country during the weekend.

Cindy made landfall as a tropical storm near the Louisiana-Texas border early Thursday morning, and now the downgraded tropical depression is moving through the lower Mississippi Valley with rain bands extending across the South, according to the Weather Channel.

Here’s how it will impact your weekend locally:

1. Flights have already been delayed or cancelled in and out of the Dayton International Airport. Four morning flights to Chicago, Newark and Charlotte were cancelled, while several other flights were delayed. Delays to St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla., Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas were reported.

» THE LATEST: West Virginia bracing for remnants of Cindy

2. Approximately 1,612 flight delays were reported within, into or out of the United States so far today, according to Flight Aware. Approximately 203 flights have been cancelled within, into or out of the U.S. today — with Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Chicago O'Hare International Airport leading the way in the U.S. with the most cancellations.

3. It's difficult to measure direct impact from a storm because of connecting flights and final destinations, Dayton airport spokeswoman Linda Hughes told this newspaper in a previous interview. If a flight is on time at the Dayton airport, it doesn't mean a connecting flight at another airport won't be cancelled or delayed on the way to a final destination.

» RELATED: Cindy expected to drench Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia

4. Airlines often cancel flights before storms hit to prevent passengers from being stranded at airports and to keep their planes in position to recover after the bad weather passes. For updated information on travel waiver notices, visit these websites:

• United Airlines travel waiver notices

• American Airlines travel alerts

• Delta Air Lines alerts and advisories

• Southwest Airlines travel advisory

• Allegiant Airlines travel alerts

5. Road travel could be impacted for local counties. Showers and a few thunderstorms are expected Friday, some of which could be strong to severe, according to Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Brett Collar. Moisture from the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Cindy will move into the Miami Valley and will combine with a cold front pushing in later Friday evening. The biggest threats for us will be locally heavy rain that could lead to flooding, strong damaging winds, and an isolated tornado can't be ruled out.

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