Some flights to and from the Portland International Jetport are likely to be affected by Hurricane Florence, which is expected to make landfall along the Carolina coast Friday.

Jetport Director Paul Bradbury said American Airlines could see the biggest impact, because the jetport has direct flights to the airline’s hub in Charlotte, North Carolina. Delta flights may also be impacted, he said.

“I do expect disruptions to flight schedules associated with Florence,” Bradbury said. “The airlines have already posted lists of cities that if passengers are passing to or through will have change fees waived.”

Bradbury said anyone expecting to fly on American Airlines or Delta in or out of Portland should check their respective websites for updates.

Hurricane Florence is expected to hit the Carolinas on Friday. Its winds dropped from a peak of 140 mph to 110 mph early Thursday. That reduced Florence from a Category 4 hurricane to a Category 2, but forecasters warned that the widening storm – and its likelihood of lingering around the coast day after day after day – will bring ocean water surging onto land, and torrential rain, according to the Associated Press.

The forecast calls for as much as 40 inches of rain over seven days along the coast, with the deluge continuing even as the center of the storm pushes its way over the Appalachian Mountains.


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