Published August 5, 2024 12:54pm EDT

Travel impacted by Debby as deadly storm forces thousands of flight cancellations, delays

Debby, which was downgraded from a hurricane to tropical storm after making landfall along Florida's Big Bend, was impacting travel across the U.S. starting over the weekend.

By Steven Yablonski Source FOX Weather

Hurricane Debby makes landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida

Hurricane Debby made landfall early Monday morning along Florida's Big Bend, blasting the state with flooding rain, damaging winds and life-threatening storm surge. The Category 1 storm hit near Steinhatchee about 7 a.m. ET with winds topping 80 mph.

TAMPA – Deadly Tropical Storm Debby continues to lash Florida and the Southeast with damaging wind gusts and flooding rain after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday morning, and that’s having a major impact on travel for thousands of people hoping to catch a flight to or from places like Tampa and Orlando in Florida, and Charlotte in North Carolina.

TRACKING TROPICAL STORM DEBBY: FORECAST CONE, PATH, LIVE CONDITIONS, SPAGHETTI MODELS AND MORE

Watch: Go inside outer eye wall of Hurricane Debby as storm moves over Steinhatchee, FL

FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel shows the conditions in Steinhatchee, Florida, early Monday morning as the outer eye wall of Hurricane Debby moves into the area.

Debby, which was downgraded from a hurricane to tropical storm after making landfall along Florida's Big Bend, was impacting travel across the U.S. starting over the weekend.

Airports reported nearly 10,000 delays and about 2,400 flights that were canceled on Sunday.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

Is my flight to Florida canceled because of Debby?

With now-Troical Storm Debby continuing to funnel in damaging winds and flooding rain to Florida and the Southeast, thousands of flights have once again been impacted.

Currently, there are more than 4,700 flights that have been delayed, and another 2,800 have been canceled.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) has so far canceled about 230 flights, while Tampa International Airport (TPA) along the Gulf Coast has had just over 150 cancellations.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APP

An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.

And as deadly Tropical Storm Debby slowly creeps farther north, flights are now being impacted at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in the mid-Atlantic.

Anyone with plans to travel and catch a flight on Monday should call their airline before heading to the airport to make sure the flight is still on time and hasn't been canceled.

GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA BRACE FOR ‘POTENTIALLY HISTORIC RAINFALL’ FROM DEBBY AFTER STORM SMACKS FLORIDA

At least 4 dead as Debby weakens to tropical storm

Hurricane Debby's storm surge rocks Florida's Cedar Key

Hurricane Debby approached Florida's Big Bend area as a Category 1 storm Monday morning. Early footage from Cedar Key illustrates the significant threat of storm surge from this tropical cyclone.

At least four deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Debby.

Officials confirmed two deaths in Dixie County, Florida, as Debby approached the coastline.

A 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, both from Crawfordville, were killed in a crash just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday on U.S. Highway 19 after their car lost control and struck a guardrail.

A 13-year-old boy was also killed about 8 a.m. Monday after a tree fell on his home in Levy County. No other injuries were reported, deputies said.

Officials said a fourth person died when the driver of a tractor-trailer lost control on Interstate 75 near the Tampa Bypass Canal and crashed into a concrete barrier wall. The 64-year-old New Albany, Mississippi, man's trailer then hung over the bridge while the cab fell into the water.

Divers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office located the cab in the water about 40 feet below the surface, and the man was found dead inside.

A Florida National Guard vehicle drives through a flooded street caused by the rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby on August 05, 2024, in Cedar Key, Florida. (Joe Raedle)

High winds, rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby inundate a neighborhood on August 05, 2024, in Cedar Key, Florida. (Joe Raedle)

In an aerial view, people look out onto a flooded street caused by the rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby on August 05, 2024, in Cedar Key, Florida. (Joe Raedle)

Christy Hatcher checks on her neighborhood as high winds, rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby inundate the area on August 05, 2024, in Cedar Key, Florida. (Joe Raedle)

A person walks through a flooded street caused by the rain and storm surge from Hurricane Debby on August 05, 2024, in Cedar Key, Florida. (Joe Raedle)

Boats stored on land as Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Steinhatchee, Florida, US, on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg)

Boating docks float in the storm surge as Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Steinhatchee, Florida, US, on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg)

Members of local law enforcement and fire rescue crews clear fallen trees from the road as Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Steinhatchee, Florida, US, on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg)

(Levy County Sheriff's Office)

sign warns of a storm surge before the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Debby, which is strengthening as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico on August 04, 2024 in Cedar Key, Florida. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Debby could become a hurricane as soon as Sunday evening, bringing rain storms and high winds along Florida’s west coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ( )

A visitor keeps a hotel door from swinging open as Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Perry, Florida, on Monday. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg)

Waves were crashing ashore Sunday afternoon in North Jetty Park, Florida, as Hurricane Debby approached the Big Bend shorelines. ( Sarasota County Government)

Waves were crashing ashore Sunday afternoon in North Jetty Park, Florida, as Hurricane Debby approached the Big Bend shorelines. ( Sarasota County Government)

Waves were crashing ashore Sunday afternoon in North Jetty Park, Florida, as Hurricane Debby approached the Big Bend shorelines. ( Sarasota County Government)

Waves were crashing ashore Sunday afternoon in North Jetty Park, Florida, as Hurricane Debby approached the Big Bend shorelines. ( Sarasota County Government)

Trees were blown over Monday morning in Clearwater, Florida as Hurricane Debby progressed across the state. (Clearwater Police Department)

Hurricane Debby has caused significant damage near Caspersen Beach in Venice, Florida. The road is currently off-limits to vehicles, city officials said. (City of Venice, FL)

Hurricane Debby has caused significant damage near Caspersen Beach in Venice, Florida. The road is currently off-limits to vehicles, city officials said. (City of Venice, FL)

The Category 1 hurricane made landfall near Steinhatchee around 7 a.m. ET with winds estimated at around 80 mph. After landfall, power outages began to skyrocket to more than 300,000 utility customers in the Sunshine State, according to PowerOutage.us.

Numbers have slowly been falling, but until conditions improve across the region, utility crews can't get out to make repairs.

Power outage numbers are also starting to jump in Georgia, with just under 25,000 reported there, according to PowerOutage.us.