- Severe Weather Disrupts Flights at San Francisco Airport: A powerful winter storm caused a ground delay program at SFO, leading to delays exceeding two hours, especially affecting travelers returning home on Presidents’ Day.
- Heavy Snow and Flood Risks Across California: The storm brought significant snowfall in the Sierra Nevada and heavy rain in Southern California, raising concerns over snow accumulation at low elevations and flood risks near burn scar areas.
- Impact on Air Travel Worldwide: Flights were canceled across Europe, including Lufthansa and KLM, due to strikes and weather conditions, while U.S. airlines also faced delays and cancellations at airports like Spirit Airlines.
- Back-to-Back Weather Events Strain Travel Infrastructure: Multiple storms and wind restrictions have stretched airline crew resources and gate availability, increasing the likelihood of multi-hour delays and disruptions.
- Importance of Travel Insurance During Unpredictable Weather: Given the increasing frequency of weather-related delays and cancellations, travelers are encouraged to consider comprehensive travel insurance to protect against unforeseen disruptions and losses.
The FAA issued a ground delay at San Francisco International Airport on Monday as a powerful winter storm system hammered Northern California with heavy rain, gusty winds, and rapidly dropping snow levels. Arriving flights faced average delays exceeding two hours by mid-morning, with some individual delays stretching past four hours. The disruption lands squarely on Presidents’ Day, when millions of Americans are trying to fly home from the long weekend.
Oakland and San Jose airports are also reporting delays, though not as severe. The National Weather Service has winter storm warnings in effect through midweek for elevations above 2,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada, where forecasters project 6 to 8 feet of snow at higher elevations and up to 10 feet on the tallest peaks. Interstate 80 through the Sierra has been subject to chain controls and intermittent closures all weekend, stranding drivers trying to return from Lake Tahoe. Snow levels are expected to plunge to 1,500 feet by Tuesday and could drop as low as 1,000 feet overnight, an unusually low threshold that would bring accumulation to foothill communities that rarely see it.
In Southern California, the storm carries a different kind of threat. Los Angeles has issued evacuation warnings near the Palisades, Hurst, and Sunset fire burn scars, effective through Tuesday morning. Forecasters expect 2 to 4 inches of rain along the coast and valleys, with 4 to 8 inches in the foothills and mountains. Burn scars stripped bare by the January wildfires are especially vulnerable to debris flows when rain hits at high intensity, and the NWS has warned of possible severe weather, including small tornadoes, 60 mph winds, and rain rates exceeding one inch per hour. Caltrans closed Topanga Canyon Boulevard ahead of the storm due to mudslide risk. Travelers with flights through LAX should monitor conditions closely, though the airport itself has not yet reported significant operational impacts.
The California storm caps a punishing week for air travel worldwide. Last Thursday, Lufthansa canceled nearly 800 flights after pilots and cabin crew walked off the job in a 24-hour strike over stalled pension negotiations. The walkout grounded operations at Frankfurt and Munich and stranded an estimated 69,000 passengers, many of whom were still scrambling for rebookings heading into the weekend. KLM separately canceled more than 150 flights on Saturday as winter weather blanketed Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. And Spirit Airlines, now navigating its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in less than a year, continued to cancel flights at elevated rates throughout the week. The carrier is selling off 20 more aircraft, recalling 500 furloughed flight attendants, and candidly acknowledging in court filings that its ability to continue operating remains in doubt.
Presidents’ Day weekend itself saw SFO hit with a separate ground delay program last Wednesday when winds limited arrivals to fewer than 28 per hour, delaying roughly 200 flights. That was before the current, more powerful storm system arrived. The compounding effect of back-to-back weather events at the same airport leaves airline crew rest reserves and gate availability stretched thin, which means even moderate disruptions can cascade into multi-hour delays.
Weeks like this one illustrate why travel insurance has shifted from a nice-to-have to something worth serious consideration before any trip. A two-hour ground delay at SFO can turn into a missed connection in Denver, which becomes a hotel night in a city you never planned to visit. Weather-related cancellations are generally covered under standard trip interruption benefits, but the specifics vary by provider and plan. Comparing the best travel insurance options before booking a flight can save thousands if plans fall apart, particularly for families juggling multiple tickets and nonrefundable hotel reservations.
If you are flying through a California airport today or tomorrow, check your flight status before leaving for the airport. Airlines, including United, Delta, Southwest, and Alaska, have been issuing travel waivers for impacted routes, which allow free rebooking without change fees. Travelers returning from the Sierra should expect significant road delays and consider pushing departure to Wednesday morning, when plows will have had time to clear secondary routes after the heaviest snowfall tapers off late Tuesday. Anyone near the LA-area burn scars should follow evacuation orders immediately and not attempt to drive through flooded or debris-covered roads.
For travelers planning spring break trips in the coming weeks, the lesson from this Presidents’ Day weekend is straightforward: disruptions are not rare exceptions. Between weather volatility, airline labor disputes in Europe, and Spirit’s ongoing instability, the odds of encountering a cancellation or significant delay on any given trip have increased meaningfully over the past year. Understanding travel insurance cost and what different plans actually cover before you need to file a claim is the kind of preparation that pays for itself.
The current storm system is expected to linger over California through at least Friday, with additional rounds of heavy rain and mountain snow possible into next weekend. SFO delays could persist for several days. In Europe, Lufthansa’s unions have signaled that further strikes are possible if management does not present improved pension offers, and Spirit’s next major bankruptcy court hearing is scheduled for later this month. The travel disruption pipeline shows no signs of clearing anytime soon.
