On August 14, 2026, the FAA held 20 airports across the United States under 34 delay programs. Denver International Airport (DEN) was the worst-hit, enduring a peak maximum delay of 534 minutes due to thunderstorms.
FAA Delay Programs at 20 Airports Totaling 34 Programmes
The FAA issued 11 ground stop programs, 7 ground delay programs, and 16 general arrival and departure delay notices across 20 airports. A ground stop holds departures bound for an airport on the ground at their origin, whereas a ground delay program meters arrivals by assigning later departure times.
Denver International operated under a continuous ground stop program caused by thunderstorms lasting 22 hours and 20 minutes, along with an equally long ground delay program that peaked at 252 minutes average delay and a maximum delay of 534 minutes. LaGuardia Airport (LGA) had a ground stop program active for 21
hours and 20 minutes due to airport volume and VIP movements, while JFK experienced a ground stop for 3 hours and 20 minutes primarily caused by thunderstorms and VIP reasons.
Harry Reid International (LAS) faced multiple programs: a ground stop due to wind lasting 1 hour, a ground delay program lasting 22 hours and 20 minutes with thunderstorm and wind causes, and general delays for 6 hours and 40 minutes related to thunderstorms. San Francisco International (SFO) saw a lengthy 21-hour ground delay program caused by low ceilings, and 21 hours and 40 minutes of general delay info driven by
traffic management initiatives related to the weather.
Other significant ground delay programs included San Diego International (SAN) for over 22 hours caused by airport volume, John F. Kennedy International (JFK) for 6 hours and 20 minutes due to volume, and Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) for 17 hours and 40 minutes affected by airport volume and low ceilings.
| Airport | FAA programme | Cause | Peak average delay | In force (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver International (DEN) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 00:00 to 22:20 (22 hours 20 minutes) |
| LaGuardia (LGA) | Ground Stop Programs | airport volume; VIP | – | 00:00 to 21:20 (21 hours 20 minutes) |
| John F. Kennedy International (JFK) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms; VIP | – | 18:00 to 21:20 (3 hours 20 minutes) |
| Orlando International (MCO) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 19:20 to 20:40 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 21:00 to 22:20 (1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Stop Programs | wind | – | 20:00 to 21:00 (1 hour) |
| Salt Lake City International (SLC) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 00:00 to 00:40 (40 minutes) |
| Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 00:20 to 00:40 (20 minutes) |
| HPN | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 18:00 to 18:20 (20 minutes) |
| Boston Logan International (BOS) | Ground Stop Programs | thunderstorms | – | 18:00 to 18:20 (20 minutes) |
| Newark Liberty International (EWR) | Ground Stop Programs | VIP | – | 21:20 to 21:20 (20 minutes) |
| Denver International (DEN) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms | 252 min | 00:00 to 22:20 (22 hours 20 minutes) |
| Harry Reid International (LAS) | Ground Delay Programs | thunderstorms; wind | 102 min | 00:00 to 22:20 (22 hours 20 minutes) |
| San Francisco International (SFO) | Ground Delay Programs | low ceilings | 64 min | 01:20 to 22:20 (21 hours) |
Thunderstorms Drove the Majority of Delay Programmes
The FAA data identifies thunderstorms as the leading cause, appearing in 67 delay samples and driving 24 specific programmes tagged as “WX:Thunderstorms.” Airport volume follows closely with 71 program mentions, though many overlap in terminology, including 23 related to compacted demand. Low ceilings contributed
to 49 instances, notably at San Francisco International and Seattle-Tacoma International.
Wind was cited mainly at Harry Reid International and Las Vegas, impacting ground stops and ground delay programs. VIP-related reasons appeared at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark Liberty International (EWR), influencing ground stops in those locations. Other causes include traffic management initiatives and departure restrictions at airports like San Francisco and Chicago O’Hare.
Comparison to Previous Days Shows Slight Increase in Delay Activity
Compared to the previous day, August 13, the number of airports affected increased from 18 to 20, and total delay programs rose from 27 to 34. This rise of 2 airports affected and 7 programs marks a
modest uptick but does not represent the highest level in the recent 7-day average where 20.6 airports are affected on average.
August 14 does not mark the worst day within the tracked window but continues the trend of persistent weather-related delays, especially thunderstorms impacting Denver and surrounding airports.
Methodology. travelandtournews.com samples the FAA’s National Airspace System status feed every 20 minutes throughout the US operating day and aggregates the result. This report is built from 68 samples taken between 00:00 and 22:20 UTC on 2026-08-14. Durations are the observed window between the first and last sample in which a programme
was in force, so a programme’s true length may be slightly longer than shown. Ground stops, ground delay programmes, airport closures and general delays are all published by the FAA in real time; the daily aggregation is ours.
