Denver international Airport
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From power outages to clogged highways, the extreme wind across the Denver metro and Colorado’s Front Range has caused both inconvenience and emergencies.
Add Denver International Airport to the list.
According to the FlightAware Misery Map, DIA leads the country today, December 19, in flight delays and has canceled the second-most flights so far, with 193 flights delayed and eleven canceled as of noon. The vast majority of flight delays took place after the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for high winds, with gusts expected to top eighty to ninety miles per hour in parts of Boulder and Jefferson counties. Earlier this morning, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for all flights at the airport; it was originally set to expire at 9 a.m. but was later extended to 10 a.m., and then again to 11 a.m.
According to the FAA, the ground stop at DIA was lifted at 11 a.m., but the airport is still under a “ground delay” designation until 10 p.m. today. The average delay in Denver is currently two hours, the FAA adds.
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As a major layover airport, DIA delays also affect airports across the country. According to FlightAware, flights out of Minneapolis, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., have been particularly impacted by the delays.
FlightAware
Although delays are ongoing at the airport, the power remains on and DIA is not within the planned outage area. The same cannot be said for 83,000 households, businesses and buildings across Colorado, which are currently experiencing outages as Xcel Energy tries to limit wildfire risks. The high winds are expected to calm down tonight, but Xcel has told customers that their power may not come back on until tomorrow, Sunday or Monday. This comes after a similar day of high winds and tens of thousands of power outages on Wednesday, December 17.
If you’re stuck at DIA and need to grab a bite, check out this comprehensive guide to eating at all of the Denver airport concourses. You might be surprised at how many local options there are.
