A severe hailstorm and strong winds brought widespread disruptions to air travel in the Southeast on Friday evening, with Delta Air Lines grounding 100 planes at its Atlanta hub for damage inspection. The storm, which swept through just before 8 p.m., dropped quarter-inch hail and microburst winds, causing numerous delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Delta diverted 90 flights to other airports in the Southeast, while technicians worked through the night to complete required hail inspections on exposed aircraft. Nearly all planes have since returned to service, but the airline expects additional delays and cancelations as teams work to safely reset aircraft and flight crews complete required rest.
The storm also caused flash flooding and strong winds at the airport, with standing water forcing the closure of a major highway nearby. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) evacuated most personnel from the Atlanta airport control tower due to strong winds, but air traffic controllers were able to return to work later in the evening.
Delta reported 380 system cancelations for Saturday, further adding to the travel headaches caused by the severe weather event.
Source: https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/delta-airlines-inspects-planes-hail-atlanta-thunderstorms-hartsfield-jackson-airport