Is there a ground stop at MDW today?
Live FAA delay status for Chicago Midway International Airport (KMDW, Chicago, IL): ground stops, ground delay programs and delays right now, what the FAA has listed for MDW recently, and how often flights here actually run late.
No: the FAA is not reporting a ground stop at MDW right now.
FAA NAS Status lists no ground stop, ground delay program, or delay event for Chicago Midway Intl. Checked Sep 22, 2026 · 2033Z (3:33 PM CDT); this page refreshes about every two minutes.
Recent FAA events at MDW
Ground stops and delay programs the FAA has listed for MDW in the last 90 days, from ATIS Alerts' own log of FAA NAS Status.
- Ground StopSep 19, 2026 · 1053Z (5:53 AM CDT)lasted 2h 7m · thunderstorms
- Ground Delay ProgramSep 17, 2026 · 1410Z (9:10 AM CDT)lasted 2h 22m · other · avg delay 145 min
- Departure DelaysSep 15, 2026 · 1417Z (9:17 AM CDT)lasted 34 min · wx:thunderstorms · 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 MDW delayed?
Airline on-time performance at MDW, Jun 2025 to May 2026, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
74,255 scheduled airline arrivals and 74,246 departures in the period. Best month: Sep 2025 (85.7% on time); worst: Mar 2026 (70.2%). 22% 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 7,532 arrivals.
What caused the delays
- 48%Late-arriving aircraft
- 29%Airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling)
- 18%National Airspace System (ATC, volume, non-extreme weather)
- 4%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 KMDW right now
Weather drives most ground stops: thunderstorms, low ceilings, wind and snow.
METAR KMDW 221953Z 06010KT 10SM SCT026 BKN140 BKN200 17/10 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP252 T01670100
What a ground stop at MDW means
When the FAA issues a ground stop for Chicago Midway Intl, 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 MDW 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
MDW ground stop FAQ
How do I know if MDW 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 Chicago Midway Intl; green means it does not. The official source is nasstatus.faa.gov.
How long do ground stops at MDW last?
The ground stops we have recorded at MDW stayed listed for about 120 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 MDWare 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.