Florida was counting the cost after Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Wednesday morning in the Big Bend area as a ‘major’ category 3 hurricane.
Some airports and tourist attractions including Walt Disney World were forced to suspend operations as strong winds and rain struck, leaving more than 470,000 people without power in parts of northern Florida and Georgia.
American Airlines issued a travel alert for 12 airports in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, allowing customers whose travel plans are affected by Hurricane Idalia to rebook without change fees.
Idalia was downgraded to a tropical storm as it passed through Georgia, though it still brought with it powerful winds and potentially life-threatening weather.
Coastal and inland flooding is expected in parts of Georgia, as well as South Carolina and North Carolina, as the storm makes its way along the south-eastern US coast on Thursday.
In updated travel advice, the Foreign Office warned: “Idalia is bringing deadly storm surge, heavy rain and high winds as it moves through Florida towards Georgia and South Carolina.”
The US Hurricane Center said: “Storm surge is expected along the southeastern US coast. Coastal flooding is also expected in North Carolina on Thursday.
“Tropical-storm-force winds will affect portions of the southeastern US coast through Thursday.
“Areas of flash, urban, and moderate river flooding, with considerable impacts, are expected from eastern South Carolina through eastern North Carolina into Thursday.”
Meanwhile, Hurricane Franklin was expected to approach Bermuda on Wednesday, leading to United Airlines, American Airlines, Jet Blue, Air Canada, and Delta cancelling all flights.
Start-up carrier BermudAir delayed its inaugural flights by 24 hours to Friday.
However, British Airways operated a service to the island from Heathrow.