Is there a ground stop at DCA today?
Live FAA delay status for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA, Washington, DC): ground stops, ground delay programs and delays right now, what the FAA has listed for DCA recently, and how often flights here actually run late.
No: the FAA is not reporting a ground stop at DCA right now.
FAA NAS Status lists no ground stop, ground delay program, or delay event for Ronald Reagan Washington National. Checked Sep 22, 2026 · 2032Z (4:32 PM EDT); this page refreshes about every two minutes.
Recent FAA events at DCA
Ground stops and delay programs the FAA has listed for DCA in the last 90 days, from ATIS Alerts' own log of FAA NAS Status.
- Departure DelaysSep 21, 2026 · 1921Z (3:21 PM EDT)lasted 2h 42m · tm initiatives:swap:wx · avg delay 38 min
- Ground StopSep 21, 2026 · 1850Z (2:50 PM EDT)lasted 1h 11m · airport volume
- Ground Delay ProgramSep 17, 2026 · 1708Z (1:08 PM EDT)lasted 8h 24m · thunderstorms · avg delay 30 min
- Airport ClosureSep 15, 2026 · 0403Z (12:03 AM EDT)lasted 23h 56m · !dca 09/293 dca ad ap clsd to non sked transient ga acft ppr signature aviation 703-417-3500 2609150401-2609160359
- Arrival DelaysSep 3, 2026 · 0142Z (9:42 PM EDT)lasted 1h 22m · pct / rwy:disabled aircraft · avg delay 23 min
Durations are the time the FAA kept the event listed. Log complete from 2026-09-22; older rows are the last event of each type seen by the ATIS Alerts bot since 2026-07-22.
How often is DCA delayed?
Airline on-time performance at DCA, Jun 2025 to May 2026, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
142,220 scheduled airline arrivals and 142,187 departures in the period. Best month: Sep 2025 (77.1% on time); worst: Mar 2026 (66.1%). 33% of arrival delay minutes were charged to weather or the National Airspace System, the categories a ground stop or ground delay program falls under.
On-time arrivals by month
Bar = share of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule; largest month had 12,298 arrivals.
What caused the delays
- 41%Late-arriving aircraft
- 27%National Airspace System (ATC, volume, non-extreme weather)
- 26%Airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling)
- 6%Extreme weather
- 0%Security
Shares of delay minutes on arrivals 15+ minutes late, as reported by the carriers to the DOT.
Source: BTS Airline On-Time Performance (reporting carriers; regional, cargo, and general aviation flights are not included). Published about two months after each month ends.
Weather at KDCA right now
Weather drives most ground stops: thunderstorms, low ceilings, wind and snow.
SPECI KDCA 222019Z 02010KT 5SM -RA BR BKN010 OVC013 17/16 A3021 RMK AO2 CIG 006V012 P0002 T01670156
What a ground stop at DCA means
When the FAA issues a ground stop for Ronald Reagan Washington National, aircraft headed there are held at their departure airports until it lifts; flights already airborne continue, hold, or divert. It is the FAA's most severe traffic-management step short of closing the airport, and it is usually issued in 30 to 90 minute increments that get extended while the cause persists, then often converted into a ground delay program as conditions improve.
Passengers:your aircraft is probably sitting at its origin; the airline's "delayed" status usually resolves in waves after the stop lifts. Pilots: a stop at DCA ripples into the satellite airports and the whole TRACON; check the national board for programs at your alternate.
Terminology: ground stops explained · GDPs and EDCTs explained
DCA ground stop FAQ
How do I know if DCA has a ground stop right now?
The banner at the top of this page reads the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes. A red banner means the FAA currently lists a ground stop for Ronald Reagan Washington National; green means it does not. The official source is nasstatus.faa.gov.
How long do ground stops at DCA last?
The ground stops we have recorded at DCA stayed listed for about 75 minutes on average. Nationally, most stops run 30 to 90 minutes per issuance, but a stalled line of storms can keep one extended for hours.
Does a ground stop mean my flight is cancelled?
No. It means departures to DCAare held, not cancelled. Airlines cancel on their own when the backlog cannot be recovered, so watch your carrier's updates alongside this page.
⚠️ Informational only. FAA NAS Status is the authoritative source for delay programs; your airline or dispatch governs your flight. ATIS Alerts is not affiliated with the FAA.