When the Wind Takes the Wheel
Travelers hoping to take to the skies this fine Sunday were instead treated to an impromptu lesson in the whimsical tyranny of Mother Nature as the Reno-Tahoe International Airport found itself at the mercy of winds strong enough to make a bald man reconsider his hatlessness.
By the afternoon, 21 incoming flights were delayed, three outright canceled, and seven outbound flights were told to stay put, likely to the dismay of passengers who had already resigned themselves to overpriced coffee and the dulcet tones of an intercom repeating the words “Thank you for your patience.” Another nine departing flights were caught up in a purgatory of delay as their fate dangled between the caprices of the wind and the optimism of airline scheduling.
The National Weather Service—well-versed in delivering bad news with clinical precision—reported gusts of 70 to 80 miles per hour, a force of nature typically reserved for hurricanes and particularly enthusiastic door slams. These gales were so mighty that at least one flight from Las Vegas turned tail midair and scurried back the way it came as though it had suddenly recalled an urgent engagement elsewhere.
For those still harboring dreams of air travel, officials advise checking with your airline before making the trek to the airport, lest you arrive only to be informed that your journey is getting scotched by a capricious breeze with a mean streak.
The Old Blog in the Desert 