Tropical Storm Arthur, Midwest Weather Trigger Flight Waivers at Hubs in Houston, Chicago, and Atlanta

The first major storm of the 2026 hurricane season officially became a tropical storm Wednesday when the National Hurricane Center named the system Tropical Storm Arthur.

As of 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday, the center of Arthur was located near Sargent, Texas, just east of Matagorda Bay and about 55 miles northeast of Port O’Connor.

The NHC expects Arthur to move farther inland over southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana through Wednesday night. The forecast calls for the storm to weaken, possibly dissipating by Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

The remnants of the storm could bring tornadoes through the Upper Texas Coast into southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.

Even with the storm weakening, the NHC said heavy rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated amounts up to 20 inches, are expected from the Texas coast into parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle.

The storm is already making an impact as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to FlightAware data, Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is bearing the heaviest impact with over 410 outbound and 380 inbound delays, alongside dozens of cancellations. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is also being hit with nearly 70 inbound and roughly 40 outbound delays.

Texas hubs and Southeast gateways are seeing much milder disruptions so far, with Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) reporting 33 delays as the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur pass inland.

Some U.S. airlines have issued travel waivers for the affected areas, allowing passengers to change flights without penalty or paying fare differences.

American Airlines has issued a waiver for travel on Wednesday, June 17, for airports including Chicago O’Hare (ORD) in Illinois; Detroit (DTW), Grand Rapids (GRR), and Flint (FNT) in Michigan; Indianapolis (IND) in Indiana; Milwaukee (MKE) and Madison (MSN) in Wisconsin; and St. Louis (STL) in Missouri. Change fees are waived for all fare classes, including basic economy, provided tickets were purchased by June 15 and rebooked travel is completed by June 19. All changes must be processed by June 17.

Delta Air Lines has issued a waiver for travel from June 17 through June 18 covering key destinations across the region. The impacted cities include major Texas hubs Austin (AUS), San Antonio (SAT), Houston-Intercontinental (IAH), and Houston-Hobby (HOU); New Orleans (MSY) in Louisiana; Gulfport/Biloxi (GPT) in Mississippi; Florida Panhandle destinations Destin-Ft. Walton Beach (VPS), Panama City (ECP), Pensacola (PNS), and Tallahassee (TLH); and Birmingham (BHM) and Montgomery (MGM) in Alabama. Tickets must be reissued and booked travel must begin by June 21.

United Airlines has issued a waiver for travel through George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston through June 17. United has a separate waiver for Wednesday for some major Midwest airports, including Madison, Wisconsin (MSN), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD).