Is there a ground stop at SEA today?
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 Sep 22, 2026 · 2034Z (1:34 PM PDT); this page refreshes about every two 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 DelaysSep 22, 2026 · 1501Z (8:01 AM PDT)lasted 6 min · rwy:construction · avg delay 23 min
- Ground Delay ProgramSep 22, 2026 · 0018Z (5:18 PM PDT)lasted 4h 3m · runway construction · avg delay 35 min
- Ground StopSep 19, 2026 · 1545Z (8:45 AM PDT)lasted 22 min · runway construction
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: 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 221953Z 23008KT 10SM FEW025 BKN038 19/12 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP190 T01890117 $
What a ground stop at SEA means
When the FAA issues a ground stop for Seattle–Tacoma 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 SEA 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
SEA ground stop FAQ
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 long do ground stops at SEA last?
The ground stops we have recorded at SEA stayed listed for about 15 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 SEAare 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.