DALLAS — Strong wind gusts of more than 30 mph caused some inconvenience and concern across North Texas on Thursday.
Passengers experienced cancellations and delays at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, largely due to windy weather. By late afternoon American Airlines was reporting 107 canceled flights and 833 delays system-wide. Southwest Airlines reported 37 cancelations and 741 delays.
DFW Airport typically has seven runways available. However, five of them were down on Thursday due to the direction of the wind.
In the afternoon, the FlightAware flight tracker showed inbound flight delays averaging 2 hours and 39 minutes because of the wind. Departure delays were between 30 minutes and 45 minutes.
"It’s pretty windy," said Keith Pryor, as he and a group of visitors toured Downtown Dallas.
Across town, many people who ventured out into the elements were bracing themselves
The strong gusts were violently waving trees. The winds sent trash and debris tumbling. Signs and holiday decorations were knocking over.
Police also blocked off some streets downtown as crews with Dallas-Fire Rescue responded to reports of furniture and other items flying from rooftops due to the wind.
“It’s pretty windy. The good thing is it’s not very cold. It’s warmed up in the sun,” said Johnna Pryor.
The heavy winds did not stop many people from venturing out. However, in the unpredictable conditions, residents said safety is key and people, for the most part, were staying mindful of their surroundings.
“Well, you’ve just got to hang on to your hat,” Keith Pryor added.