The Worst U.S. Airports for Weather Delays, Ranked
It’s one of the things every traveler dreads: their flight is delayed-or worse, cancelled, thanks to treacherous weather conditions. Weather-related delays account for 74.26% of air traffic delays. While most Americans probably think of infamously rainy cities like Seattle or hurricane-ridden places like Florida when they think of weather delays due to weather, however, neither of those made the bottom five of InsureMyTrip’s recent list of Airports With the Highest and Lowest Percentage of Weather Delays in 2024.
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Methodology
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U.S. Airports with The Most Weather Delays
- Dallas/Fort Worth International
- Minneapolis−Saint Paul International
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
- Will Rogers World (Oklahoma City)
- Gerald R. Ford International (Grand Rapids)
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U.S. Airports with The Least Weather Delays
- Oakland International
- Kahului, Maui
- Hollywood Burbank
- San Jose International
- Baltimore/Washington International
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How to Avoid Weather Delays
The FAA defines a weather delay as a delay caused “by extreme or hazardous weather conditions that are forecasted or manifest themselves on point of departure, en route, or on point of arrival.” InsureMyTrip analyzed data provided by the Department of Transportation to identify the airports with the most weather-related delays.
Dallas and Oklahoma City are both in the top five for most weather delays, and this is likely due to their location in Tornado Alley —the area of the United States that experiences the most frequent tornadoes. Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Detroit, and Grand Rapids are likely due to the harsh winters those areas experience.
Unlike airports with the most weather delays, the locations of these airports all have stable weather conditions and a low risk of extreme weather, regardless of the time of year.
No matter what some people say, it is impossible to control the weather. There are, however, some things you can do to make things easier if you experience a delay, and to avoid being delayed when you do travel.
Travel Insurance -Travel insurance will help you when a delay causes you to miss a connection, making rebooking easier.
Time of Year -When possible, avoid booking a flight during hurricane season, tornado season, or the height of winter (when flying in/out of airports that experience snow).
Fly Early -Book early morning flights, so if there is a delay, you may still be able to fly out later that day.
Book Longer Connections -Give yourself a longer connection so in case of delay, you won’t have to rebook in your connecting city.