The Federal Aviation Administration issued two consecutive ground stops at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Monday morning, November 12, 2026. Dense fog along the Bay Area shoreline severely reduced runway visibility to just over one-tenth of a mile, forcing multiple aircraft to abort landings. The FAA first halted arrivals before 11 a.m. Pacific Time and then imposed a second ground stop beginning at 10:12 a.m., initially planned to last until 11:30 a.m.
Flight Delays, Cancellations, and Operational Restrictions
FlightAware data recorded 187 delayed flights and three cancellations at SFO on November 12. Arrival delays averaged approximately 63 minutes. The fog and low cloud ceilings restricted
operations, with the airport at times able to accept only aircraft equipped for Category II and Category III instrument approaches. Following the ground stops, a ground-delay program was implemented and extended through 1:59 p.m., while the second ground stop lasted until 1 p.m.
Fog and Low-Visibility Conditions Caused Operational Disruptions
Recurring dense fog at San Francisco International Airport caused the ground stops as low runway visibility compromised safe landings. Multiple go-arounds occurred when aircraft aborted approaches due to the limited visibility. While visibility briefly improved to about half a mile by 9:23 a.m., persistent low clouds continued constraining arrivals. These conditions forced the FAA to restrict arrivals
to only those aircraft meeting advanced instrument approach standards, affecting scheduling and causing widespread flight delays and cancellations across the Bay Area region.
