Delays and cancellations hit Hector as severe weather wallops region

FARGO — It may have been spared from the latest round of severe weather, but Fargo couldn't avoid the ripple effects.

Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed Saturday, April 1, according to the website Flight Aware , as a wide swath of severe weather made its way across the U.S.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was one of the most affected, with dozens of canceled flights and delayed flights Friday and into Saturday.

That bottleneck affected flights in Fargo, said Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of Hector International Airport.

The airport accommodated three diversions from Delta Airlines flights Friday night, he said, including one that had departed to Minneapolis only to return to Fargo due to low visibility.

The backup is still affecting travel even as the weather improves today.

"Delta flights are still being impacted in Fargo as Delta adjusts their operations to reposition aircraft and flight crews," he added.

Hector International Airport reported five delayed flights and one canceled flight on its website as of midday Saturday.

Images and video on social media showed a packed Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

"I think I can safely say this is as bad as I’ve ever seen lines at MSP in 4+ years of covering travel," tweeted Kyle Potter, editor for the Thrifty Traveler website. "Woof."

The National Weather Service reported 8.5 inches of snow at MSP from an April Fool's Day blizzard that also knocked out power to tens of thousands in southern and central Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio reported .

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms also tore through the southern U.S. on Friday, killing three and causing a swath of destruction across Arkansas, according to CNN .