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Hundreds of flights canceled at Charlotte airport due to Hurricane Ian

More than 300 flights were canceled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport as Hurricane Ian battered the Carolina coast with high winds and heavy rain.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 300 flights were canceled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport due to Hurricane Ian, which brought heavy rain and gusty winds to the Charlotte metro area Friday. 

In total, 315 flights at Charlotte Douglas were canceled, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. The website also reported 198 delayed flights at Charlotte. 

Additionally, Charlotte Douglas saw the second-most outbound flights canceled end delayed Friday: 153 cancelations and 98delays. The airport also saw the second-most inbound flights canceled and delayed, with 162 canceled flights and 101 delays.

PSA Airlines had 166 cancelations and 16 delays, while American Airlines had 65 cancellations and 137 delays.  

The first bands of rain moved into the Charlotte area early Friday morning, with heavy downpours throughout the day. Ian officially made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, at 2:15 p.m. Friday. The National Hurricane Center reported sustained winds of 85 mph as Ian battered the coast with dangerous storm surge and heavy rain. 

For the latest updates on Hurricane Ian, including live severe weather warnings and notifications, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app.

Friday was a Weather Aware Day. Any time a person sees the Weather Aware label on the forecast or on social media, they know it's about their personal safety, their family's safety and protecting their property. 

Beyond the typical severe weather, there are dangerous heat waves, record-breaking cold snaps or even hazardous winds that could impact people's safety. Those instances would cause WCNC Charlotte's Weather Team to tell everyone they should be Weather Aware.

Multiple school districts in the Charlotte area, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, switched to virtual learning Friday to protect students and staff from the storm. 

RELATED: Complete list of school closings & delays due to Ian

The storm moved through the Piedmont region fairly quickly Friday night, which is good news for any flooding. The mountains and foothills of North Carolina were still at a greater risk of flooding as the rain lingered into Saturday. Panovich said the flash flood risk is pretty significant, especially in the mountains where the runoff will be moving quickly. 

"Saturday afternoon is looking much better," Panovich said. "It's probably going to be windy with some isolated showers but not too bad."

🌩️ If you like weather, watch Brad Panovich and the WCNC Charlotte Weather Team on their YouTube channel, Weather IQ. 🎥

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