San Francisco International Airport experienced several FAA-imposed ground stops throughout Monday, November 9, 2026, triggered by dense fog and low clouds. By 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time, 187 flights were reported delayed and three canceled. The initial ground stop started just before 8 a.m., lifting around 9:15 a.m., followed by additional ground stops near 10:28 a.m. and just before noon.
To manage limited airport capacity, the Federal Aviation Administration held certain departures bound for San Francisco and implemented ground delay programs multiple times during the day. These measures restricted arrivals and delayed flights, some of which averaged about 63 minutes in
delay. Selected flights from other U.S. airports destined for San Francisco were held on the ground temporarily before departure.
The FAA attributed the operational restrictions to reduced visibility caused by fog and low cloud ceilings around the San Francisco Bay area. The National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory warning visibility as low as a quarter of a mile near the bay shoreline. Visibility at San Francisco International Airport dropped to approximately 0.13 miles around 8 a.m., as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. The persistent low ceilings required increased separation between aircraft and the application of low-visibility operational
procedures, which lowered the airport’s throughput capacity.
Passengers traveling to or through San Francisco on November 9 encountered significant delays and cancellations. Flights originating from other U.S. airports with San Francisco as their destination were affected by ground holds designed to reduce airspace congestion. These delays had the potential to disrupt connecting flights and downstream schedules, compounding traveler wait times.
FAA ground stops serve as temporary traffic management tools rather than airport closures. San Francisco International Airport’s proximity to the bay makes it especially susceptible to coastal fog, which can repeatedly impose operational restrictions. These conditions affected flight operations multiple
times on November 9, 2026, as weather visibility fluctuated throughout the morning and midday periods.
