San Francisco International Airport (SFO) experienced several Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stops on November 9, 2026, with the first restriction beginning shortly before 8 a.m. Pacific Time and lifted around 9:15 a.m. By 10:30 a.m., FAA data showed 187 delayed flights and three cancellations affecting arriving aircraft. Additional ground stops were issued around 10:28 a.m. and just before noon, further delaying flights bound for San Francisco.
Weather Conditions Causing Flight Disruptions
The delays were triggered by dense fog and persistent low cloud cover that significantly reduced visibility at San Francisco International Airport. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, visibility dropped to approximately 0.13 miles
around 8 a.m. The FAA identified these weather factors as the principal cause for imposing the flight restrictions. Low visibility required increased separation between aircraft and the use of low-visibility procedures, limiting the airport’s capacity.
FAA Traffic Management Measures and Impact
The FAA implemented ground delay programs that temporarily halted departures from other U.S. airports with scheduled flights to San Francisco. These restrictions aimed to manage congestion in SFO’s airspace and prevent compounding delays. As a result, flights originating elsewhere experienced hold times on the ground. Some arriving planes faced average delays of roughly 63 minutes. The ground stops did not indicate a full closure of
SFO but were temporary operational controls managing aircraft flow amid limited airport capacity.
San Francisco Airport’s Susceptibility and Advisory
San Francisco International Airport’s coastal location next to San Francisco Bay makes it prone to fog formation, often causing visibility fluctuations. The National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory for the San Francisco area and bay shoreline, warning drivers and air traffic controllers of visibility levels dropping to as low as a quarter of a mile. Despite some improvement in surface visibility later in the morning, low cloud ceilings continued restricting flight operations throughout the day.
