When Hurricane Irene came ashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, U.S., on Aug. 27, 2011, the small airport servicing Cape Hatteras reported wind gusts to 74 kt and visibility at times of less than 1 mi (1.6 km) in very heavy rain. As Irene moved up the East Coast, it weakened. By the time it came ashore again the next day just south of New York City, Irene had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Throughout the day, the winds at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) gusted to 50 kt, and, at times, visibility fell below 2 mi (3.2 km) in heavy rain.
Even though Irene had lost strength, its effects on aviation operations were significant. The New York airports and others in the storm’s path were closed for an extended period during the busy Labor Day weekend. Airlines canceled 12,000 flights. Aircraft were moved to safer locations. It took days for airport operations to get back to normal. United Airlines and Continental Airlines alone reported total losses of $40 million.
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