Thunderstorms Ground Flights In Miami And Fort Lauderdale
Hundreds of flights arriving and departing from South Florida airports were impacted due to severe weather on Monday. The intense thunderstorms prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to place Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) under an advisory, with ground stops issued for several hours.
The incident left some passengers stuck on aircraft and others frustrated by the inconvenience. Flights to and from other Florida airports were also reportedly impacted by the event, including Sarasota and Orlando.
Flights grounded for hours
Heavy rain began to fall in the South Florida region in the early afternoon on Monday. Greg Chin, Communications Director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, confirmed that departures had been holding off and on since 13:00 due to lightning, according to Miami local ABC affiliate, WPLG.
The FAA declared a ground stop at MIA on Monday around 17:30. It initially lasted until 19:00, as the agency determined the probability of extension would be 30-60%. But in an update at 18:00, departures became delayed an average of 75 minutes and increased, prompting the FAA to extend the ground pause to 20:00, and then 21:00 as the storms persisted.
Photo: EQRoy/Shutterstock
In Broward County, where FLL is located, the FAA issued a ground pause initially from around 17:45 to 19:00, saying similarly that it could be extended. Along with MIA, the pause was not lifted until 21:00.
Inbound flights diverted
According to the Miami Herald, the ground stop at both airports in the first couple hours affected flights primarily coming from Boston, the New York area, and Washington, DC. Some flights originating in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and the west coast also were impacted.
Delta Air Lines flight 673 from Seattle Tacoma International Airport to FLL was diverted to Tampa International Airport (TPA) and landed at 16:44. The aircraft, an Airbus A321neo, remained on the ground until 20:16 to complete its journey to FLL, according to data from FlightAware. It arrived at 21:00.
Alaska Airlines flight 516, flying the same route, followed a similar pattern. The Boeing 737 MAX 9 rerouted to TPA and arrived at 17:47. It remained there for over three hours until it departed to FLL at 21:08. The flight arrived in Broward County at 21:52. FlightAware data also reported that MIA experienced at least 333 flight delays on Monday, with 139 cancelations. FLL experienced 308 total delays with 39 cancelations.
Impacts elsewhere
The ground stop seemed to cause a ripple effect on other airports in Florida and the Southeast. One passenger in Sarasota expressed their frustration on Twitter.
“In Sarasota on the tarmac. No updates on anything. Airline protocol needs to change. We should be allowed off the plane. We are held without options. Not a fair and equitable system for passengers,” the traveler wrote.
Photo: Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock
Another tweet came from a concerned parent inquiring about an update.
“My son is stranded in Orlando since 3 hours ago on an international flight. Any news on when arrivals will resume?” they said.
It is unclear how many passengers were affected or the number of flights that waited out the ground pauses without returning to the gate.
The FAA also issued a ground stop at Orlando International Airport that lasted until 21:15 on Monday, according to the Miami Herald. The agency cited the severe weather and traffic management for the grounding. More flight impacts across the sunshine state could be seen on Tuesday as forecasters expect a similar weather pattern.
Sources: WLPG, Miami Herald
