Flight cancellations, power outages pile up as storm rages 

Local

Heavy winds and rain are posing challenges for holiday travel.

Flight cancellations and power outages stacked up into the thousands on Friday, as an intense storm brought rain and heavy winds to jeopardize travel plans on the cusp of the Christmas weekend.

There were over 11,000 flight delays and more than 3,000 cancellations in the United States before 9 a.m., according to FlightAware, the flight-tracking data website.

Cancellations were the seventh highest out of Logan Airport, which reported 122 flights were nixed, or 24 percent of flights. Another 19 flights were delayed.

Similarly, 121 flights into Logan were cancelled, and an additional 23 were delayed by 8:50 a.m.

Still, heavy rain was forecasted to taper off throughout Friday morning. Light rain and heavy winds — as much as 50 to 60 miles per hour in Boston — were expected to stick around throughout the day.

Pockets of the city may see flooding due to storm surge, officials warned Thursday.

Wind gusts in particular may pose the most problems throughout the state.

Some were already feeling that impact early Friday: Over 72,000 electricity customers in Massachusetts were without power just before 9 a.m., according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu urged residents on Thursday to refrain from approaching downed power lines. They should call 311 instead, so city crews can handle the situation.

“The strong wind will really be one of the most visible parts of the storm,” she said.