Anxious travelers across the U.S. felt a bit of relief as airlines mostly stayed on schedule while gradually cutting flights because of the government shutdown. More than 800 flights were called off on Friday to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration's order to reduce service. Some passengers were forced make last-minute changes and rebook on different flights. Plenty of nervousness remained, as more canceled flights are expected in the coming days. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Dallas led the way with the most disruptions, and long security lines added to travelers' woes. The upheaval will intensify the longer the shutdown lasts and could become chaotic if it extends into the Thanksgiving holiday, just weeks from now.

Continued staffing shortages in air traffic control facilities are causing delays at airports as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark. Controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers will see more flights delayed or canceled the longer they go without a paycheck. The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing-related delays on Friday at airports in Boston, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, and Newark, New Jersey. Most controllers are continuing to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown. Duffy says that leaves little time for a side job to help cover bills, mortgage and other expenses unless controllers call out.

Officials in Connecticut say two women died after being swept away by floodwaters brought by torrential rains that fell there, on New York's Long Island and in New Jersey. As much as 10 inches of rain fell Sunday and early Monday and trapped people in cars and a restaurant. A Long Island official says that hundreds of homes were affected by flooding there and that mudslides covered car roofs. One meteorology professor refers to the system as "training thunderstorms." William Syrett of Penn State University says "it's like each thunderstorm is a car on a train track, and so they just keep going over the same place."