FAA Daily Air Traffic Report, July 31, 2025: Weather Delays
Thunderstorms across the Midwest and Northeast join low coastal ceilings to threaten today's U.S. flight schedule. A pair of SpaceX launches will further compress airspace, the FAA warns in its morning operations plan. Late-day ground stops are possible at Boston, New York, several Florida gateways, and major inland hubs. Travelers leaving after three p.m. Eastern should monitor airline apps for push-back holds and consider backup connections. Here's the outlook, airport by airport.
Key Points
- Why it matters: Afternoon ground stops can trigger nationwide ripple delays within an hour.
- Ground stops probable after six p.m. ET at New York, with Boston threats starting three p.m. ET.
- Rocket launches from Vandenberg and Kennedy could close Atlantic and Pacific routes for 50 minutes.
- Low ceilings at San Francisco and San Diego, wind at Las Vegas, may prompt short ground-delay programs.
- Seattle Seafair airshow imposes temporary airspace restrictions over SEA through Sunday.
Snapshot
At seven a.m. Eastern, average gate-holds sit below fifteen minutes at every major hub nationwide. The FAA's Operations Plan lists mid-afternoon thunderstorms over Chicago and Indianapolis centers as the primary en-route hazard. Forecasts show those cells merging with a second storm band over New England near the evening rush. If realized, gate-holds at Northeast, Florida, and Atlanta airports could exceed one hour by early evening. Route managers have already published escape corridors around ZAU and ZID, while sea-fair festivities trim Seattle arrival capacity. Low marine layers have ceilings under eight hundred feet at San Francisco and San Diego, risking a morning ground-delay program for transcontinental banks.
Background
The FAA publishes a Daily Air Traffic Report each morning. The document distills weather forecasts, runway closures, and special-use airspace into a plain-language outlook. It pairs with rolling Operations Plan Advisories from the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. Together, the products flag ground-stops before airlines assign crews or load bags, saving time and fuel. Comparing today's plan with yesterday's report shows storms shifting east and new rocket-launch limits. Since 2021, average daily flights handled by the FAA have hovered around forty-four thousand, meaning even a ten-percent throughput cut leaves more than four thousand departures searching for new slots. Historically, convective weather accounts for nearly three-quarters of all delay minutes in July and August. Spaceflight windows have grown too, requiring temporary route closures that ripple far beyond Florida and California launch pads.
Latest Developments
Thunderstorms Threaten Northeast and Midwest Hubs
The Command Center highlights thunderstorms forming along a cold front draped from Missouri to western New York. Storm tops near forty-thousand feet may force managers to reroute transcontinental jets through Canadian airspace. Ground-stop risk climbs after three p.m. at Boston, then by six at New York's hubs. Chicago O'Hare and Midway may get a short break before a second storm burst near sunset. If arrival rates sink below twenty per hour, airlines may cancel short-haul connectors to protect long-haul banks. Travelers with less than ninety-minute layovers should seek backup itineraries while seats remain plentiful. United and JetBlue have already issued weather waivers covering Northeast gateways, allowing fee-free rebooking through August 2. The DOT dashboard confirms the carriers will also cover meals or lodging if delays exceed three hours.
Rocket Launches Narrow Airspace Corridors
SpaceX plans two launches today. A Starlink mission departs Vandenberg at 1139 a.m. Pacific; Crew-11 lifts off from Kennedy near noon Eastern. Each window triggers temporary route closures over the oceans, squeezing altitude blocks for east-west traffic. The Operations Plan warns transcontinental and Hawaii flights may absorb fifteen-to-thirty-minute reroute extensions. Controllers reopen airways once boosters clear 100 kilometers, yet a ten-minute slip can still ripple. Travelers on tight international connections should avoid itineraries departing during the 1130 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern window. Major carriers typically waive change fees when NASA or SpaceX launches create controllable delays. Cape Launch One routes will close partially, pushing Miami-bound jets over the Gulf of Mexico. Expect minor arrival holds at Orlando and Tampa between 11 a.m. and two p.m. as a result.
Seattle Seafair and Coastal Ceilings Add Local Hurdles
Seattle-Tacoma International juggles Navy Blue Angels practice flights for this weekend's Seafair airshow. The FAA flags SEA as constrained, with intermittent runway closures from noon to five p.m. Las Vegas faces gusty crosswinds that could cut Harry Reid's departure rate during the midday bank. Farther south, marine layers have ceilings under eight hundred feet at SFO and SAN, prompting an early GDP. Arrivals bound for northern California could absorb delays of thirty to forty-five minutes until the stratus thins. The plan marks SFO, BOS, and SEA as 'GDP possible', signaling carriers to secure extra gates and fuel. Travelers on these routes should rely on carrier apps for push alerts because conditions can improve quickly. Booking a later morning departure rather than the first flight after sunset could shave significant standby risk.
Analysis
Summer thunderstorms regularly generate the largest single category of flight delays in the United States. Unlike winter snowstorms that cancel flights outright, convective weather forces airlines to hold departures and meter arrivals. That practice preserves aircraft utilization but quickly eats gate space, causing inbound flights to wait on taxiways. Today's Operations Plan adds two complexities: rocket launch closures and Blue Angels practice flights. Each factor steals precious airspace, compressing traffic into fewer high-altitude lanes and magnifying any ground-delay program. Historically, when multiple constraints stack, day-of cancellation rates double from the seasonal average of about two percent. The FAA therefore telegraphs its assumptions early, giving airlines space to thin schedules rather than react mid-storm. Travelers benefit most when they anticipate these triggers, choosing morning departures, nonstop itineraries, or hub-to-hub flights with multiple backups. Rebooking is simplest before departure, while tickets are open inventory and DOT dashboards favor proactive rerouting. If delays stretch past three hours, airlines must provide compensation or accommodations under their customer commitments. Savvy travelers screenshot delay codes and keep digital copies of receipts to streamline any post-trip refund claims. Carriers without interline agreements, notably ultra-low-cost brands, may only offer a later seat on their own network. When weather and launch closures overlap, those seats can disappear quickly, especially on Friday getaway banks. Booking flex fares, travel insurance, and credit cards with trip protections remains the best hedge.
Final Thoughts
The national picture is fluid, yet the building blocks are clear: afternoon storms, two rocket launches, and regional events all nibble at capacity. Leaving early, packing patience, and staying glued to real-time alerts remain the smartest ways to keep an itinerary intact. If your plans hinge on tight connections, build a backup now before ground-stops begin to roll eastward. Monitor the FAA Daily Air Traffic Report through the day for updates and use its signals to guide your next move. Doing so keeps you a step ahead of schedule changes and allows you to travel better, even on stormy days.