U.S.: Update: Some 12,600 flights cancelled through 12 September worldwide as Hurricane Irma barrels toward Atlanta as Category-2 storm

Hurricane Irma is grounding travellers as far away as London and Doha, and cancellations will likely continue well into the week.

Flights will be suspended at Miami International Airport, Florida’s busiest, through Monday after the airport suffered “significant water damage,” the airport’s chief executive said late Sunday.

Airlines on four continents have cancelled around 12,600 flights through Tuesday because of the storm, according to plane tracker Flight Aware. That number is set to rise as a weakened yet still powerful Irma heads north near Atlanta — a Delta Air Lines hub and the world’s busiest airport.

The National Hurricane Centre has downgraded Irma to a Category 2 hurricane, but the storm is still barrelling up Florida’s west coast, bashing the state with heavy rains and fierce winds.