Storms pounded the U.S. East Coast on Wednesday.

More than 2,000 flights were dropped.

Busy airports like JFK and LaGuardia were suffered heavily.

Delays lasted for a long time.

The National Weather Service issued warnings.

Tornado watches included a handful of states.

Torrential rain and wind closed runways.

Strong gusts grounded planes all over.

Airlines told flyers to stay alert for updates.

A mid-summer storm system made things worse.

By afternoon, airports slowly reopened.

Passengers awaited new information on their journeys.