Over 3,000 flights cancelled as winter storm hits southern US

A powerful winter storm sweeping through the southern United States caused widespread travel disruptions on Friday, with over 3,000 flights cancelled and thousands more delayed, according to airlines and the flight tracking website FlightAware.

Delta Airlines was particularly impacted, citing a "worse-than-expected mix of winter weather" that forced a temporary shutdown of all five runways at Atlanta International Airport for over two hours.

The airline reported approximately 1,100 flight cancellations across its network on Friday as it worked to stabilise operations for the weekend.

A Delta flight preparing for departure in Atlanta also faced a serious incident when an engine issue forced the Boeing 757-300 to abort takeoff. Over 200 passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft using emergency slides, according to a company statement reported by US media.

Other major airports, including Dallas Fort Worth in Texas and Charlotte Douglas in North Carolina, also significant disruptions. FlightAware reported more than 1,200 cancellations across these two airports alone.

In total, more than 3,000 flights were cancelled nationwide on Friday.

The storm follows an earlier winter system earlier in the week, which left at least five people dead and caused widespread power outages across central and eastern parts of the country.

Temperatures plunged to below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) in some areas, leaving tens of thousands without electricity.