CLT flight cancellations rising as Hurricane Michael approaches

Flight cancellations are growing at Charlotte’s airport ahead of the tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain Hurricane Michael is expected to deliver Wednesday and Thursday.

The flight-tracking website FlightAware.com shows 36 cancellations Wednesday at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, as of 9:30 a.m. That’s up from 25 on Tuesday and 16 Monday. The site reported eight flight delays Wednesday.

PSA airlines, a regional carrier for American Airlines, accounted for 24 of the 36 cancellations. Most were flights between Charlotte and airports in Florida, whose panhandle is expected to get pounded by the most destructive storm in a century, CNN reported.

On Wednesday morning, Charlotte Douglas ranked fifth-highest among U.S. airports on FlightAware’s MiseryMap of delays and cancellations.

Charlotte is expecting showers and thunderstorms Wednesday with wind gusts to 18 mph, the National Weather Service says. Rain is expected to continue Thursday, with the remains of Michael expected to drop three to four inches of rain with the possibility of tropical storm-force wind gusts.

A flash flood watch is in effect for the Charlotte region from Thursday morning through Thursday night.

Bruce Henderson: 704-358-5051; @bhender