A wave of dangerous winter weather combined with staffing problems tied to a TSA pay freeze caused widespread travel disruptions across the United States on Monday, forcing more than 2,000 flight cancellations and bringing operations at several major airports to a standstill.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that major hubs were heavily affected as ground stops were issued early Monday morning. Flights were halted at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, while George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston experienced significant ground delays.

Beyond the thousands of canceled flights, the disruptions spread nationwide, with more than 9,500 additional flights delayed, Duffy said.

The aviation turmoil coincided with a powerful round of late-winter storms striking large portions of the country Monday and Tuesday.

In the Midwest, communities were contending with blizzard conditions, while states across the eastern United States faced severe thunderstorms expected to produce powerful winds and possible flooding, according to AccuWeather.

Meteorologists warned that the storm system could impact roughly 200 million people.

Air travelers were already struggling with airport delays before the storms intensified, as a pay freeze affecting airport security officers created staffing shortages. Because security personnel were working without pay during the partial government shutdown, roughly 300 TSA workers resigned.

The funding lapse occurred on Feb. 13 after Congress failed to reach an agreement on immigration enforcement changes sought by Democrats.

Scenes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport showed long lines of passengers waiting outside the terminal early Monday morning as travelers attempted to pass through security checkpoints.

Airport officials advised passengers at the time to arrive at least two and a half hours before domestic departures. By late morning, however, security lines had returned to normal levels, according to a post from Austin-Bergstrom’s X account.

The Trump administration has laid the blame on the TSA hiccups on Democrats for the partial funding stop.

{Matzav.com}