Flights to Newark Liberty Intl (EWR) are being delayed at their departure airport for approximately 1 hour and 43 minutes because weather conditions at the airport are too dangerous to safely land flights on the normal schedule.
This post is updated every 15 minutes. All times are listed in local time for the airport.
[googlead]
Will my flight be impacted?
Probability your flight will be impacted based on how far in the future it is scheduled to leave:
60 Minutes | Three Hours | Six Hours |
HIGH | LOW | LOW |
The weather is expected to improve in approximately 1 hours.
While this is good news for flights departing and arriving after the weather improves, there will be a knock-on impact from this weather delay that will continue to cause delays and cancellations throughout the day as airlines try to get the delayed passengers to their destination.
While there is a good chance that your flight may be delayed it is not very likely to be canceled — especially if your flight lands or departs after the weather is scheduled to improve.
Why Is This Happening?
Here are the current weather conditions at Newark Liberty Intl and an overview of what is required for “normal” operations:
Normal | Current | |
Conditions | Clear | Rain mist |
Visibility | Greater than 2 | 3.0 |
Wind | Less than 11.8 MPH | 7.1 MPH |
Clouds | Higher than 1,000 | Broken at 600 Overcast at 1,200 |
The clouds are currently 600 feet off the ground, while flights typically need at least 1,000 feet to safely land on the normal schedule.
The current mist is forecast to end by 4:00 AM on 2/5.
The airport is currently experiencing delays due to low clouds and poor visibility. While airplanes can fly through clouds without an issue, landing usually requires the pilot to be able to see the runway. In situations such as these where pilots can’t see the ground or other airplanes air traffic control will keep flights further apart than normal. This keeps everyone safe, but decreases the number of flights that can take off and land which causes delays.
Here’s what the current aviation forecast says will happen over the next few hours for the cloud cover:
Change | From | To | Time |
Raise | 600 | 4,000 | 4:00 AM on 2/5 |
Here’s what the current aviation forecast says will happen over the next few hours for the visibility:
Change | From | To | Time |
Increase | 3.0 | 6.21 | 4:00 AM on 2/5 |