Is there a ground stop at SEA today?
No ground stop at SEA right now (as of 1:56 PM PST, Nov 6): the FAA lists no ground stop, ground delay program or delays for Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. In the last 12 months the FAA issued 24 ground stops and 42 ground delay programs for SEA, most often for runway or taxiway work, holding flights on 53 days.
Live FAA delay status for Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (KSEA, Seattle, WA): ground stops, ground delay programs and delays right now, what the FAA has listed for SEA recently, and how often flights here actually run late.
No: the FAA is not reporting a ground stop at SEA right now.
FAA NAS Status lists no ground stop, ground delay program, or delay event for Seattle–Tacoma Intl. Checked Nov 6, 2026 · 2156Z (1:56 PM PST); this page refreshes about every two minutes.
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Why SEA gets delayed
Sea-Tac's three parallel runways handle Seattle's famous drizzle well, and the FAA data bears that out. Of the 66 programs for SEA in the 12 months to October 2026, the single biggest cause was not weather but runway and taxiway construction (33%), concentrated in August and September. Low clouds (21%), fog (14%) and wind (14%) made up most of the rest.
Programs here are short and mild. The typical ground delay program lasted 2 h 12 min with an average delay of 35 minutes, and 62% of them started in the evening, between 5 and 9 PM. The exception was March 13, 2026, when snow and an equipment outage combined for an 8 h 45 min program with average delays near five hours.
Written by the ATIS Alerts team from FAA Command Center advisories (October 2025 to October 2026), BTS airline on-time data (June 2025 to May 2026) and 20 years of hourly weather observations. Updated October 2026.
How long SEA delays usually last
Every FAA ground stop and ground delay program for SEA from Nov 6, 2025 to Nov 5, 2026, rebuilt from the FAA Command Center's own advisories.
Ground delay programs
42Ground stops
24Flights to SEA were held by at least one FAA program on 53 days in the last year. 52% of the stops and programs began between 5 PM and 9 PM local time.
What triggered them
SEA ground stops and delay programs by month
| Month | Ground stops | Delay programs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| January 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| April 2026 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| July 2026 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| August 2026 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| September 2026 | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| November 2026 to dateplus Nov 6-30, 2025 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
The busiest month was August, with 19 ground stops and delay programs combined.
Source: FAA ATCSCC advisory database (fly.faa.gov), every ground stop and ground delay program advisory the FAA Command Center issued for SEA, rebuilt daily by ATIS Alerts.
Best time of day to fly out of SEA
Airline departures scheduled before 9 AM left on time 89% of the time, against 74% for those scheduled after 9 PM. By weekday, Tuesday was the most reliable (83%) and Friday the least (76%). BTS on-time data, June 2025 to May 2026; on time = within 15 minutes.
Recent FAA events at SEA
Ground stops and delay programs the FAA has listed for SEA in the last 90 days, from ATIS Alerts' own log of FAA NAS Status.
- Departure DelaysNov 6, 2026 · 2125Z (1:25 PM PST)lasted 30 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 1710Z (9:10 AM PST)lasted 10 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 2, 2026 · 2005Z (12:05 PM PST)lasted 5 min · wx:fog · avg delay 30 min
- Departure DelaysNov 2, 2026 · 1610Z (8:10 AM PST)lasted 3h 35m · wx:fog · avg delay 30 min
- Departure DelaysOct 31, 2026 · 1705Z (10:05 AM PDT)lasted 10 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 29, 2026 · 1935Z (12:35 PM PDT)lasted 35 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 29, 2026 · 1755Z (10:55 AM PDT)lasted 1h 5m · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 28, 2026 · 1925Z (12:25 PM PDT)lasted 40 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 28, 2026 · 1730Z (10:30 AM PDT)lasted 40 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 27, 2026 · 1920Z (12:20 PM PDT)lasted 1h 5m · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 27, 2026 · 1610Z (9:10 AM PDT)lasted 2h 15m · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 25, 2026 · 1815Z (11:15 AM PDT)lasted 2h 5m · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 25, 2026 · 1600Z (9:00 AM PDT)lasted 20 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 23, 2026 · 1925Z (12:25 PM PDT)lasted 35 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 23, 2026 · 1615Z (9:15 AM PDT)lasted 2h 20m · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 21, 2026 · 1610Z (9:10 AM PDT)lasted 15 min · wx:fog · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 20, 2026 · 1930Z (12:30 PM PDT)lasted 35 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 20, 2026 · 1505Z (8:05 AM PDT)lasted 3h 25m · wx:low ceilings · avg delay 30 min
- Departure DelaysOct 17, 2026 · 1925Z (12:25 PM PDT)lasted 2h 50m · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Ground StopOct 16, 2026 · 0215Z (7:15 PM PDT)lasted 51 min · runway construction
- Departure DelaysOct 16, 2026 · 0125Z (6:25 PM PDT)lasted 15 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 15, 2026 · 2325Z (4:25 PM PDT)lasted 20 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 15, 2026 · 1610Z (9:10 AM PDT)lasted 10 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 15, 2026 · 1500Z (8:00 AM PDT)lasted 10 min · wx:fog · avg delay 15 min
- Ground StopOct 15, 2026 · 1456Z (7:56 AM PDT)lasted 1h 34m · low visibility
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 SEA delayed?
Airline on-time performance at SEA, Jun 2025 to May 2026, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
165,489 scheduled airline arrivals and 165,477 departures in the period. Best month: Apr 2026 (85.5% on time); worst: Dec 2025 (69.8%). 27% 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 16,576 arrivals.
What caused the delays
- 37%Late-arriving aircraft
- 35%Airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling)
- 22%National Airspace System (ATC, volume, non-extreme weather)
- 6%Extreme weather
- 0%Security
Shares of delay minutes on arrivals 15+ minutes late, as reported by the carriers to the DOT.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (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 KSEA right now
Weather drives most ground stops: thunderstorms, low ceilings, wind and snow.
METAR KSEA 062153Z 36004KT 2SM -RA BR SCT014 OVC022 11/10 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP182 P0006 T01110100 $
Active FAA events nearby
Other airports in Washington with a delay event right now.
SEA ground stop FAQ
Is there a ground stop at SEA today?
No ground stop at SEA right now (as of 1:56 PM PST, Nov 6): the FAA lists no ground stop, ground delay program or delays for Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. This page rechecks the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes.
How do I know if SEA 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 Seattle–Tacoma Intl; green means it does not. The official source is nasstatus.faa.gov.
How many ground stops has SEA had in the last year?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 24 ground stops and 42 ground delay programs for SEA, most often for runway or taxiway work, holding flights on 53 days. Source: the FAA Command Center's advisory database (fly.faa.gov).
How long do ground stops at SEA last?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 24 ground stops for SEA. The typical one lasted 1 h 13 min, and the middle half ran 51 min to 1 h 25 min. Ground delay programs run longer: 42 of them, typically 2 h 12 min with an average delay of 35 minutes.
Does a ground stop mean my flight is cancelled?
No. It means departures to SEA are 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.