Hurricane Matthew’s expected arrival on the southeast Atlantic coast late Thursday and early Friday has scrambled travel patterns throughout the region.
Flights have been canceled at major airports from Miami to Jacksonville. Amtrak has canceled long-distance trains south of Washington, D.C., to the Carolinas and Florida.
And South Carolina made all four lanes of Interstate 26 between Charleston and Columbia westbound only to facilitate coastal evacuations.
Here’s a more detailed look at the impacts:
Airlines
American Airlines canceled most flights Thursday departing Miami International, Fort Lauderdale International and Palm Beach International. A spokesman told The Miami Herald that the airline expected to be up and running again by midday on Friday.
Orlando International Airport was slated to shut down at 8 p.m. on Thursday and would reopen on Saturday, conditions permitting.
American Airlines was planning to curtail operations at Jacksonville International Airport on Friday morning and resume regular flights on Saturday.
The airline offered to waive change fees for passengers at many destinations in the region.
Southwest Airlines warned customers to expect delayed, diverted or canceled flights in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and Charleston through Friday.
The airline said its flights in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham could be disrupted through Saturday.
Delta offered to waive change fees for passengers using its affected airports in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Caribbean.
United offered to waive change fees and fare differences for affected passengers in the region.
JetBlue offered to waive change and cancellation fees and fare differences at several airports.
Railroads
Amtrak said it was canceling two pairs of trains that operate from New York to Miami, the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor, on Thursday and Friday. The popular Auto Train, which operates between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla., was also to be canceled on those days.
The Palmetto, which ordinarily operates between New York and Savannah, Ga., will terminate at Washington, D.C., on Thursday and Friday, the railroad said.
Other Amtrak routes south of Washington, to Richmond, Newport News, Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta were not immediately affected by the storm.
South Florida’s Tri-Rail commuter train service was to be suspended on Thursday and Friday, as was central Florida’s SunRail, with normal operations to resume on Monday.
Highways
The South Carolina Department of Transportation implemented a full lane reversal of Interstate 26 between Charleston and Columbia at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
The department implemented other, shorter lane reversals on major highways near Beaufort, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach.
Curtis Tate: 202-383-6018, @tatecurtis
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