Flight delays due to weather are a costly reality, especially at some of the busiest airport hubs in the United States, but where exactly are you most likely to encounter one?
We dove into U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics to find the 10 worst which you can find below.
But first, some staggering flight delay facts.
About 37 percent of all arrival delays from October 2018 through September 2019, the latest 12-month data period available, were due to weather.
This amounted to 518,602 weather-delayed arrivals totaling over 37 million minutes. That's the equivalent of over 70 years of weather delays.
Flight delays also exact a huge economic and environmental toll.
A 2010 FAA sponsored study estimated a $32.9 billion total cost to U.S. economy due to flight delays. That's more costly than all U.S. hurricanes except Katrina, Harvey, Maria, Sandy and Irma.
A 2007 congressional study estimated 740 million gallons of additional jet fuel was burned due to flight delays, about five percent of total fuel consumption.
For our list of the most weather-delayed major airports, we considered the raw number of weather delays as well as the percentage of all delay minutes due to weather at 30 major U.S. airports from October 2009 through September 2019.
The nation's 30 major airports accounted for 2.8 million weather-related flight delays in that 10-year period, totalling 181.9 million weather delay minutes, or the equivalent of almost 346 years of weather delays.
We ranked each airport in both categories, then added the rankings to come up with our composite index. The lower the index, the more weather-delayed that major hub was. In the case of a tie, we used the percentage of all delay minutes due to weather as a tiebreaker.
10. George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport (IAH)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 123,435 (ninth most)
-Weather delays: 123,435 (ninth most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 40.67 percent (ninth highest)
-Composite index: 18
-Weather issues: Thunderstorms, fog
Thunderstorms frequent the Houston metro area 62 days in an average year. These storms can happen any time of year, even while the rest of the nation is shivering in the middle of winter.
While these thunderstorms can be severe, the bigger key for airport delays is that these storms often move slowly. Instead of a 30 to 60-minute delay, flights can be pushed back for more than an hour if a cluster of thunderstorms takes its time, as often is the case in Houston.
The city’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico – as well as Galveston Bay, the Houston Ship Channel and numerous bayous – also makes it prone to fog. Dense fog is seen roughly 18 days a year, while patchier fog is observed 70 days annually.
Of course, Houston is at risk for tropical storms and hurricanes, primarily from June through September, but that didn’t factor into the data we studied for this list.
9. Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 170,326 (sixth most)
-Weather delays: 170,326 (sixth most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 35.71 percent (11th highest)
-Composite index: 17
-Weather issues: Thunderstorms, fog, rare snow or ice
Hundreds of flight delays at Texas’s busiest airport can roll in when extreme weather fires up around the Metroplex.
A severe weather outbreak in North Texas on April 3, 2012, triggered 800 flight cancellations and 550 delays at DFW. More than 100 aircraft were damaged by baseball-sized hail. Some 1,400 people had to spend the night in the airport’s terminals.
But it doesn’t take tornadoes and huge hail to mess up flight plans in this hub. Slow-moving thunderstorms with heavy rain in the summer months can also push back flight schedules, similar to Houston. On average, thunderstorms hit the Metroplex 47 days each year.
Snow, sleet or freezing rain is rare, but it can cause major issues.
Two rounds of snow blanketed the area in February 2011. The airport was closed for several hours during the first round on Feb. 2, and the second round dumped 6 inches of snow on the metro area. With annual snowfalls reaching only 1 to 2 inches on average, travelers should expect flight delays at this airport any time snow or ice is present in North Texas.
8. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 98,999 (10th most)
-Weather delays: 98,999 (10th most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 46.71 percent (seventh highest)
-Composite index: 17
-Weather issues: Snowstorms, low clouds/fog, wind, thunderstorms
The Big Apple makes its first appearance, but not its last, on our list with a yearly average of almost 10,000 weather-related flight delays.
New York City ranks just above the middle of the pack for both seasonal average snowfall (23 inches) – and days with measurable snow in a year (14).
Despite that, snowstorms can cripple air travel for a full day or longer at this airport.
Snowstorms aren’t the only factors that trigger delays. Frontal systems can also cause delays when accompanied by low clouds.
7. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 81,964 (11th most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 50.74 percent (fifth highest)
-Composite index: 16
-Weather issues: Low clouds/fog, wind, snow, thunderstorms
Weather accounts for roughly half of all arrival delay time in Philadelphia.
In some respect, Philadelphia International is a victim of its close proximity to other major Northeast airports and the propensity for delays there to ripple through the network.
Philadelphia's ranking is probably best explained by The Weather Channel meteorologist Jen Carfagno: "If the cloud ceiling drops below 700 feet, you are guaranteed delays." By ceiling, we mean the base of the lowest cloud deck, similar to the ceiling in your living room or office.
Philly sits in the middle of the pack in most of our weather criteria. For instance, they average only about 23 inches of snow a year, with measurable snow 12 to 13 days annually. Philadelphia is not especially windy, and its 27 days a year with thunderstorms is also nothing to write home about.
6. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 124,647 (eighth most)
-Weather delays: 124,647 (eighth most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 49.2 percent (sixth highest)
-Composite index: 14
-Weather issues: Snowstorms, fog
Wintry weather can have major effects on Boston Logan International Airport, where there’s roughly a 50 percent chance of at least one 10-inch or more snowfall every season.
According to Massport, the organization responsible for the condition of the airfield, most weather events don’t shut down the airport. Lengthy delays can happen, not just because of snow removal, but from delays from other Northeast hubs.
"If New York sneezes, Boston catches a cold," said Matthew Brelis, director of media relations at Massport. Since most Boston-bound domestic flights pass through New York’s airspace first, any inclement weather in the Big Apple can delay flights in Boston.
Boston also lands near the top of the major hubs for average snow (43.5 inches) and days with measurable precipitation (126).
Aside from winter weather, fog and rain can also factor into flight delays in Boston, Brelis said.
Boston Logan is also the windiest major airport in the country. A typical Northeast cold front can produce wind gusts as high as 30 to 40 mph.
Even the most prepared airport would have plenty of weather-related days with that much chaos swirling around it.
5. Denver International Airport (DEN)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-On-time percentage: 80.86 percent
-On-time percentage: 80.86 percent
-Weather delays: 172,301 (fifth most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 40.96 percent (eighth highest)
-Composite index: 13
-Weather issues: Snowstorms, thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes
Formally opened in 1995, Denver International Airport's main weather challenge is snow. Colorado Front Range snowstorms are legendary and occur as early as October and as late as April.
In late spring and summer, afternoon and evening thunderstorms can be almost a daily ritual. When the mountains west of the city heat up, moist winds converge and rise near the peaks, allowing thunderstorms to erupt and then drift into the urban area.
Under the right conditions, the Denver cyclone, or the Denver Convergence Vorticity Zone, can form near the airport. This is a boundary of converging air that can serve as another focus for thunderstorm development, some of which can spin up tornadoes. Tornado sightings from the tower at DIA are not uncommon in late spring and early summer.
Given the propensity for thunderstorms and the high elevation, it should come as no surprise that the Front Range is also a notorious corridor for large hail. In July 2011, a hailstorm damaged numerous planes at DIA, triggering flight cancellations for days after. This is not something you'd typically expect to delay your flight.
4. New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 145,887 (seventh most)
-Weather delays: 145,887 (seventh most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 58.02 percent (third highest)
-Composite index: 10
-Weather issues: Snow, low clouds/fog, wind, thunderstorms
LaGuardia Airport only accounts for 22 percent of the total passenger load of the three major New York City metro airports, but is still prone to its share of delays.
Snowstorms are the most frequent instigators of massive flight delays and cancellations at the metro's big three airports, but aren't the only weather nuisance.
The airport is situated on Flushing Bay, allowing storm surge from Superstorm Sandy to flood LaGuardia's runways on Oct. 29, 2012. The water pushed far enough inland to reach terminal buildings and jetways.
Fortunately, many planes were moved to other airports ahead of time as a precaution, but flights did not resume until two days later.
A line of thunderstorms ahead of an advancing cold front into the Northeast can also trigger significant flight delays on the order of several hours. Fortunately, thunderstorm days – 24 to 26 each year, on average – aren't nearly as numerous as cities like Houston, Denver or Atlanta.
Of course, it's not just rain or snow that can delay your flight to the Big Apple. Low clouds and fog can trigger big delays. We'll talk more about wind delays at these airports when we arrive at another NYC metro airport in our top 10 list.
3. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 310,029 (most)
-Weather delays: 310,029 (most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 52.16 percent (fourth highest)
-Composite index: 5
-Weather issues: Snow, low clouds/fog, wind, thunderstorms
No U.S. major airport had more weather delays in our 10-year study than O'Hare, averaging 31,000 weather delays and over 2.3 million weather delay minutes a year.
To be fair, some of those arrival delays might have been because of bad weather at a flight’s airport of origin. Still, if an incoming flight is delayed at this airport, there’s roughly a 50/50 chance it’s because of weather.
Only a lower percentage of overall delays due to weather knocked O'Hare down the list a few notches.
Weather systems in the Midwest generally move from west to east. Flights into O'Hare typically approach from the east. This makes flying around any adverse weather system a challenge.
Because Chicago averages more snowy days than any Northeast hub each year, wintry weather can also be a major hassle for O’Hare. The Windy City sees about 28 days of snow per year on average, and O’Hare tops all major Northeastern airports with about 38 stormy days per year.
Then there’s the wind. South or southwest winds, the prevailing direction from June through November, can lead to delays even on sunny days.
Chicago is blanketed with dense fog about 13 days a year, which can happen at any time.
A poorly timed dense-fog event shrouded O'Hare the day before Thanksgiving in 2012 when traveler volume was extremely high. More than 100 flights were canceled and at least 300 more flights were delayed at O’Hare before the fog slowly dissipated.
2. San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 265,958 (second most)
-Weather delays: 265,958 (second most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 63.5 percent (second highest)
-Composite index: 4
-Weather issues: Low clouds/fog
If you don't frequently fly to SFO, you'd probably be shocked by this ranking. It's strange to see a city where snow is exceedingly rare and averages only two days a year with thunderstorms near the top of the list.
But the cause of this airport’s problems isn’t extreme weather – it’s fog and low clouds. When the marine layer is persistent, flight delays add up quickly.
In the warmer months, a pressure difference between the hot Central Valley and the chilly coast draws moist air from the cool Pacific Ocean into the Bay Area in the afternoon. This moist air then condenses overnight into low clouds, which hang in place until sunshine warms the layer enough to dissipate them the following morning.
Fog can be denser during the winter months when cold air drains westward from the Central Valley and locks in.
There’s another problem that contributes to these weather delays: the layout of the airport’s runways, according to Nerdwallet. Only 750 feet separate two sets of parallel runways at SFO. When visibility is low, the FAA doesn’t allow planes to land side-by-side unless runways are at least 4,300 feet apart, the report adds.
Arrivals must be staggered because of this conundrum, allowing delays to pile up.
1. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
October 2009 - September 2019 Arrival Statistics
-Weather delays: 204,692 (third most)
-Weather delays: 204,692 (third most)
-Percent of time delayed due to weather: 67.1 percent (highest)
-Composite index: 4
-Weather issues: Snow, low clouds/fog, wind, thunderstorms
If you're late flying into Newark Liberty International Airport, it's a good bet it's weather-related.
In the 10 years we examined, there was a 2 in 3 chance a delay at Newark was due to weather, more than any other major U.S. airport. For this reason, we ranked Newark Liberty slightly ahead of San Francisco.
Snowstorms and occasional summer thunderstorms can cause problems, as we detailed earlier in the other two New York City Tri-State airport hubs.
You might be surprised to learn it’s the wind that creates issues most frequently at Newark.
Two of its three runways are oriented southwest to northeast. Common west to northwest crosswinds can create headaches for pilots attempting to land. This is why you could see planes circling Newark-Liberty on an otherwise picture-perfect afternoon.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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