The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport due to severe thunderstorms, initially in place until 2:30 p.m. The FAA extended the ground stop until 4 p.m. before allowing it to expire as weather conditions improved.
As of about 1 p.m., there were more than 900 flight delays reported at the airport. The average delay time was 40 minutes, with a maximum delay of 75 minutes during the ground stop.
Severe thunderstorm watch extends across east Georgia
A severe thunderstorm watch remained in effect until 9 p.m. on July 12, 2026, for multiple east Georgia counties including Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay,
Colquitt, Cook, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lanier, Lee, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, and Worth.
The FAA imposed the ground stop in response to the thunderstorms. Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Eboni Deon noted the chance for scattered or isolated severe storms on Sunday afternoon.
Traveler delays and FAA outlook
The ground stop affected flights at one of the world’s busiest airports, temporarily halting operations. The FAA had reported a 30 to 60 percent chance of extending the ground stop before weather conditions improved enough to resume activity.
