ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Delta Air Lines expects additional delays and cancellations this weekend after severe weather rolled through metro Atlanta on Friday afternoon and night.

As of 5 p.m. on Saturday, 496 flights in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have been canceled, while 790 have been delayed, according to FlightAware. The vast majority of those are from the Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines.

“On behalf of Delta’s 100,000 people who are working to restore our operation to its hallmark reliability, I am sorry for the inconvenience and uncertainty this event has caused. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we restore operations,” Chief Customer Experience Officer Erik Snell said in a statement.

In a statement, Delta said quarter-inch-sized hail hit about 100 planes on the ground, which were inspected throughout the night. Most of those planes are expected to return to service on Saturday.

“Delta people are working as safely and quickly as possible to recover flights impacted by thunderstorms, lightning, hail and winds at our Atlanta hub Friday night,” Delta said in a statement. “We thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding.”

The winds were so strong during the storms that most air traffic controllers were evacuated from the control tower, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. A skeleton crew remained to handle inbound planes.

The weather swept through on what officials predicted to be the busiest day of the 4th of July travel period, with a projected 394,576 passengers at the airport.

Delta is offering reimbursement on any hotel, food or alternate transportation costs due to the flight disruption. Those affected by the delays and cancellations are urged to check their Fly Delta app for the latest updates.

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