By Rich McKay
(Reuters) – Severe weather disrupted holiday travel across the US on Saturday with deadly tornadoes in the Southeast and heavy snow and wind on the West Coast, delaying or canceling thousands of flights across the country.
More than 7,000 flights in the US were delayed Saturday, according to tracking site FlightAware, and more than 200 were canceled.
About a third of flights were delayed at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to FlightAware, and nearly half of flights from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were delayed.
At least 10 tornadoes hit the southeastern United States in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Saturday, leaving one person dead near Houston, the National Weather Service and local law enforcement said.
“These numbers are probably going to go up,” said Aaron Gleason, with the National Weather Service's Hurricane Prediction Center.
One death and four injuries were reported Saturday in Brazoria County, Texas, about 45 miles south of Houston, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.
Officials said many homes and schools were heavily damaged or destroyed. Images on social media show the wreckage of homes and uprooted trees and utility poles strewn across streets and lawns.
Out of the west, high winds, with gusts up to 150 mph in the high elevations of the Tahoe Basin in California and 50 mph in the lower elevations hit the area this weekend with heavy rain expected from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon, forecasters said.
Between four and six inches of rain is expected before New Year's Eve and up to 3 feet of snow in Lake Tahoe, forecasters said.
“Damaging winds could bring down trees and power lines,” the Weather Service warned. “General blackouts are possible.”