By Cynthia Washicko

cwashicko@scng.com @CynthiaWashicko on Twitter

An onslaught of severe weather forced the delay or cancellation of hundreds of flights Friday at Los Angeles International Airport.

By noon, 69 flights had been delayed, although no flights had been canceled, said Nancy Castles, a spokeswoman for LAX. From noon through the remainder of Friday, that number is expected to jump to 270 delayed flights, with another 63 canceled, Castles said in an email.

In Long Beach, American Airlines canceled two of its three scheduled departures. The airport, however, appeared to be less impacted by the weather than others, according to flightstats.com, a flight tracking website.

In Orange County, several airlines canceled flights out of John Wayne Airport. A representative from American Airlines, which canceled 12 flights out of the airport, said John Wayne is expected to be impacted most by the weather because of its shorter runways and strong crosswinds in the area.

The storm that moved in Friday morning is expected to be the strongest of the year, and could dump more than 4.5 inches of rain on the South Bay alone.

Passengers on airlines including United, Southwest and American forced to alter their travel plans because of the weather can do so without paying the fee normally required to change a flight.

Airport officials recommend that travelers contact their airlines to stay up to date on flight statuses, and leave extra time to get to and from the airport Friday.

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