FAA Issues Ground Stops at LaGuardia and JFK, Delay Program at Newark as Thunderstorms Hit New York Area

Heavy rain and thunderstorms disrupted air travel across the New York metropolitan area on Thursday, November 12, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed flight restrictions at the region's three major airports.

At LaGuardia Airport, the FAA issued a ground stop beginning at 1:27 p.m. ET, initially expected to run until 3:45 p.m. because of thunderstorms. The agency put the probability that the stop would be extended at 30% to 60%. LaGuardia is also under a ground delay program that began at 1 p.m. and is scheduled to remain in effect until 11:59 p.m.; flights departing for the airport under that program are averaging delays of 63 minutes.

At Newark Liberty International Airport, a ground delay program began at 2:37 p.m., with flights departing for Newark averaging delays of 137 minutes because of thunderstorms. At John F. Kennedy International Airport, a ground stop began at 2:49 p.m., with an initial expected end time of 3:45 p.m. and the same 30% to 60% estimated probability of extension.

FlightAware data, taken as separate afternoon snapshots, showed 215 delays and 10 cancellations at LaGuardia as of about 1:31 p.m., 131 delays and six cancellations at Newark as of about 2:24 p.m., and 239 delays and 24 cancellations at JFK as of 3:16 p.m. The figures are subject to change.

A flood advisory was in effect until 1:45 p.m. for areas including Newark, with heavy rain causing minor flooding in low-lying areas. The advisory did not specifically include Queens, home to LaGuardia. The National Weather Service forecast prolonged rainfall across the New York metropolitan area into Friday, with minor coastal flooding possible in some locations. The FAA said it continues to monitor conditions across the Northeast and that additional air traffic restrictions are possible as the weather system moves through the region.

The two tools used here work differently, and the difference matters for anyone with an aircraft or a passenger in the system. A ground stop holds affected flights on the ground until the restriction lifts, while a ground delay program meters departures to assigned times so arrivals stay manageable. Both can reach flights leaving airports outside the New York area, which is why trouble at three airports shows up as delays elsewhere in the network.

The afternoon's figures show the measures stacking up on the same airports. LaGuardia carries both a ground stop and an all-evening delay program, and Newark's 137-minute average is more than double LaGuardia's 63 minutes. For business aviation, whose operators compete for the same congested airspace and terminal-area capacity, that kind of layered restriction is a reminder that arrival slots and alternates need to be planned together rather than assumed.

The next milestones are dated in the FAA's own advisories: whether the 3:45 p.m. ground stop expiry at LaGuardia and JFK holds or is extended, and whether the forecast rain into Friday brings further restrictions across the Northeast.