How bad does weather have to be to cancel a flight?

Crosswinds greater than 50-60 km/h may cause airlines to delay or cancel flights. Even lower gusts can trigger flight delays or cancellations if the runways are wet or icy, as stiff winds can reduce a plane's ability to brake on the runway.



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Call the Airline or Check Its Website Often When you have an upcoming flight, you can typically get information on any potential delays or cancellations by calling the airline often or checking its website.

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Thunderstorms can cause turbulence and lightning strikes, which can be dangerous for aircraft. As a result, airlines may delay or cancel flights to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

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Yes, planes can fly in rain. Nowadays, airplanes are designed to fly in most weather conditions, even heavy rain. Even small planes can comfortably fly in heavy rain. Rain only becomes a threat when associated with other weather conditions, such as snow, thunderstorms, or ice.

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Slightly more than 19 percent of flights were delayed last year, in contrast to 2018, when about 17 percent of flights were delayed, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Almost 4 percent of flights were canceled in 2022. In 2023 so far, delays have affected about 22 percent of flights.

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Jet aircraft can safely fly over thunderstorms only if their flight altitude is well above the turbulent cloud tops. The most intense and turbulent storms are often the tallest storms, so en route flights always seek to go around them.

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How to Prevent and Prepare for Flight Delays & Cancellations
  1. UNDERSTAND WHY FLIGHTS GET DELAYED. ...
  2. RESEARCH YOUR FLIGHT'S ON-TIME PERFORMANCE. ...
  3. BOOK AN EARLY FLIGHT. ...
  4. BE READY FOR THE THE PROCESS. ...
  5. BE INFORMED ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS. ...
  6. CHECK THE WEATHER BEFORE YOU LEAVE. ...
  7. GET A ROOM.


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Prep before you go
Updates may appear here before anywhere else. The day of your flight, you can also scan FlightAware, a flight-tracking service accessible by app and website, to get a sense of delays and cancellations across major airports. Keep an eye on the weather, too.

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With this in mind, horizontal winds (also known as “crosswinds”) in excess of 30-35 kts (about 34-40 mph) are generally prohibitive of take-off and landing. As far as how this happens, it depends on where you are in flight.

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There is no single maximum wind limit as it depends on the direction of wind and phase of flight. A crosswind above about 40mph and tailwind above 10mph can start to cause problems and stop commercial jets taking off and landing.

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Turbulence might occur during your flight in rainy weather due to the presence of different air masses mixing together and causing disturbances aloft. Warm and cold air masses interacting with each other can result in turbulent conditions high in the sky, making your flight potentially more uncomfortable.

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