PHOENIX, October 11, 2026 — Thunderstorms tied to Tropical Storm Rachel stopped flights into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) on Saturday afternoon and left delays averaging close to three hours. More rain and wind are forecast for Sunday, October 11.
What happened
- Ground stop: the airport went into a ground stop for thunderstorms at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, October 10, AZFamily reports. It was later replaced by a ground delay program.
- Flights delayed: nearly 200 flights were delayed by 2:30 p.m. Saturday, according to AZFamily.
- Length of delays: the FAA’s airport status feed, updated shortly after 5 p.m. Phoenix time Saturday, showed a ground delay program at PHX averaging 2 hours 48 minutes, with a longest delay of 5 hours 25 minutes. The FAA listed the reason only as “other.”
- Sunday forecast: rain is expected to return and last into the evening. The National Weather Service has a wind advisory out, with gusts up to 35 mph possible.
- Monday: AZFamily’s weather team is flagging rain and flooding chances across Arizona through Monday, October 12.
- Sunday delay programs: the FAA has not published a plan. TBA.
- Waivers: American’s travel alerts page, last updated October 9, listed no Phoenix waiver when we checked on Sunday.
What it means for travelers
- Saturday’s delays spill into Sunday. Passengers who misconnected on Saturday evening are being rebooked onto Sunday flights, which leaves fewer open seats. Check your flight status again before you leave for the airport.
- Go early. Saturday’s storms hit in the early afternoon. With rain due back on Sunday, morning departures are the safer choice.
- Connecting through PHX? Allow a long layover or route through another hub. American and Southwest both run large connecting operations here, and a ground stop quickly breaks short connections.
- Watch your inbound aircraft. Under a ground delay program, flights are held at their origin. Your departure from PHX can be late even when the weather overhead looks fine.
- Carry on if you can. Long delays and rebooked connections raise the risk that a checked bag travels without you.
Sources
- AZFamily — Dust storm, rain hit Phoenix area as Tropical Storm Rachel nears Baja California
- FAA — National Airspace System airport status information
- National Hurricane Center — Post-Tropical Cyclone Rachel Advisory Number 57
- American Airlines — Travel alerts
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