On Monday, July 13, 2026, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across Southeast Texas caused the Federal Aviation Administration to implement weather-related ground stops at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.
FAA established the ground stop at George Bush Intercontinental Airport shortly after 11:20 a.m., scheduled to remain until 12:45 p.m. William P. Hobby Airport was placed under a ground stop just before 11:30 a.m., lasting until 1:00 p.m. Average departure delays during these periods reached approximately 45 minutes at Intercontinental and rose from 12 to 49 minutes at Hobby.
Flight Disruption Rankings at Houston Airports
FlightAware data ranked George Bush Intercontinental Airport
third nationally for flight disruptions, with 54 delayed departures during the event. William P. Hobby Airport was among the top ten U.S. airports affected, experiencing 24 delayed flights. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas had the highest number of flight disruptions nationwide on the same day, recording 132 delayed or canceled flights.
Meteorological Causes and Flood Alerts
The severe weather was driven by a combination of tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and a stalled northern front, producing sustained heavy downpours and thunderstorms in Southeast Texas. The National Weather Service described the region as engulfed in a deep tropical airmass, with a level 2
out of 4 risk for excessive rainfall assigned by the Weather Prediction Center for July 13 and 14.
FOX 26 extended local flood alerts through Tuesday, July 14, citing an elevated threat of street flooding in low-lying and poorly drained areas of Houston. “Greatest coverage of (thunderstorm) activity is expected during late morning through early evening hours,” the National Weather Service said in a forecast bulletin on Monday.
Traveler Impact and Official Forecast
Flight delays at Houston’s two major airports affected dozens of departures during the ground stops. The National Weather Service forecast a lull in rainfall late Monday evening, with a second round of
storm activity anticipated on Tuesday morning. “A lull in activity is anticipated for Monday night with another round of activity set for Tuesday,” the agency stated.
Forecasters projected cumulative rainfall totals between 1 and 3 inches over the area, contributing to the ongoing flood risk and transportation disruptions throughout the Houston metropolitan area.
