Weather news
Estimated 252,000 travelers stuck by FAA national ground stop Friday evening
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk ยท Published
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
Key points
- Where: U.S. airports. This is a nationwide stop, not one airport or one region.
- When: It started at 3:53 PM ET (2:53 PM Central, 12:53 PM Pacific) and was still in effect at 5:40 PM ET.
- What: Passenger flights that would normally have left by now haven't. About 2,300 are missing from the normal Friday count.
- What it means: Departures were sharply lower than during the same window last Friday.
An estimated 252,000 air travelers are stuck on the ground at U.S. airports as of 5:40 PM ET Friday, Nov. 13, after the FAA issued a national ground stop at 3:53 PM ET. Just 529 passenger planes are still flying over lower-48 land, down from 2,229 at 3:50 PM ET. The stop was still in place at our last check, and we don't yet know when it will lift.
How many people are stuck
Here is where the 252,000 comes from. We counted passenger flights that departed US airports between 3:53 PM and 5:40 PM ET today. That count was 493. In the same window last Friday it was 2,792. The gap is 2,299 flights that should have gone and didn't.
We multiplied that gap by 110 travelers per flight. That comes to 252,890, which we rounded down to 252,000.
Treat it as an estimate. It assumes a typical passenger load and that last Friday is a fair comparison for a normal Friday. The real number could be a bit higher or lower. It isn't a count of tickets scanned at gates.
What the sky looks like right now
The sky is a second way to measure this. At 3:50 PM ET there were 2,229 passenger planes over lower-48 land. At 5:40 PM ET there were 529. Planes already in the air kept flying and landed, and few new ones took their place.
What the weather has to do with it
We don't have a reason for the stop in the information we were given, so we won't guess at one. What we can say is what the weather map shows. Our outlook has no severe storms expected anywhere in the lower 48 today. Local weather is still active in a few places. A Winter Storm Warning for heavy wet snow is in effect for the Greater Lake Tahoe Area until 10 AM PST Saturday. Flood advisories are up around Sacramento and the Bay Area. A Winter Weather Advisory for lake effect snow is in effect for Grand Traverse County, Michigan, until 7 AM EST Saturday. These are local weather issues, and the information we were given does not identify the reason for the national stop.
What to do
- Check your airline's app or text alerts before you leave for the airport. If your flight still shows on time, call or message the airline before you drive.
- If you're already at the airport, stay put and stay near your gate. Watch for updates from your airline in case your flight or booking changes.
- If you're connecting tonight, look at rebooking options now.
- Planning to fly Saturday? Check your flight status before heading to the airport.
- Our airport delay outlook shows where delays are building. You can also sign up for free Y'all Alerts.
What we're still watching
We don't know how long the stop will last or how quickly the system recovers after it ends. Those are the two things that decide whether this is an evening mess or a weekend one. We'll update the estimate as new flight counts come in. You can follow local weather trouble spots on our warnings page and the severe storm outlook.
Bottom line
About 252,000 travelers are stuck on the ground right now because of a nationwide FAA ground stop that began at 3:53 PM ET. The number is an estimate, the stop is ongoing, and the best move is to check your flight status before you head out.
| Measure | Count | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger flights departing US airports, 3:53 to 5:40 PM ET today | 493 flights or planes | During the ground stop |
| Same window last Friday | 2,792 flights or planes | Normal Friday traffic |
| Missing flights | 2,299 flights or planes | Last Friday minus today |
| Passenger planes over the lower 48 at 3:50 PM ET | 2,229 flights or planes | Just before the stop |
| Passenger planes over the lower 48 at 5:40 PM ET | 529 flights or planes | Latest count |
Explained: Winter Storm Watch vs. Warning vs. Winter Weather Advisory: What Each Means