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SALT LAKE CITY — Severe weather in the Salt Lake Valley is to blame for a series of flight cancellations at Salt Lake International Airport.
A spokeswoman for the airport confirms 11 planes were struck by lightning in about a 2-hour span on Wednesday, as thunderstorms dropped hail and nearly a half-inch of rain at the official gauge at the airport.
KSL Meteorologist Grant Weyman said other areas may have received even more rain in that 24-hour period. Average rainfall for May is just shy of 2 inches, he said.
“Safe to say most areas have had anywhere from a half to a little more than an inch of water, which is, by Utah standards, a good, soaking rain,” Weyman said.
Delta said of the 11 planes struck by lightning, eight belong to the airline. The strikes resulted in eight flight cancellations on Wednesday and another three on Thursday.
The company flew maintenance personnel to Salt Lake City from Atlanta and Detroit to perform maintenance checks and clear those planes to return to duty. They found no damage and said the checks are routine in a situation like this.
