WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — South Florida airports were busy Thursday as holiday travelers hoped to avoid getting stranded by a major winter storm.
Wintry weather is expected to continue impacting air travel for the next few days while the possibility of thunderstorms in South Florida could cause travel delays too.
Delays and cancellations were the story Thursday as many travelers' emotions at Palm Beach International Airport went from excitement to frustration.
RELATED: Northern blizzard could create messy situation for holiday travelers
Carlin Fritz left her house in Lake Worth with packed bags and a little bit of anxiety.
"I have a 3-month-old baby and this is his first flight," Fritz said. "[I'm] just hoping everything goes as planned, but we're already delayed an hour and 15 minutes."
Fritz was traveling Thursday to see family in Philadelphia, but she got some bad news shortly after talking to WPTV.
"The flight got canceled. I'm looking at my options here, and the next one is on Christmas Day," Fritz said. "Maybe we can try to fly into another airport."
A winter storm in the Midwest is causing delays Thursday night and into Friday morning.
RELATED: Check South Florida airport delays
First Alert Weather Meteorologist Kate Wentzel said local storms could also impact departure flights.
"The Virpircast is indicating we could start to see some strong storms late evening overnight," Wentzel said.
While frustrations may spread at the ticket counters, others were at the airport to pick up loved ones.
"I'm waiting for my sister," a woman from Boca Raton said. "She's coming in from Washington, D.C."
Their family will be back together for the holidays.
"We were happy that she was able to get here on time," the woman said.
All travelers are reminded to check the status of their flights ahead of time. There's still time to switch to other airports or airlines if you face cancellations.
