Is there a ground stop at Washington National (DCA) right now?

No. As of Oct 15, 04:59 UTC there is no ground stop at DCA. This page updates every minute.

How often does DCA have ground stops?

GroundStop.app recorded 28 ground stops at DCA in the last 90 days, lasting 2 hr 49 min on average (longest 10 hr 4 min). That ranks #9 of 66 airports with ground stops.

What causes ground stops at DCA?

Recently the most common reasons at DCA were thunderstorms, other, equipment outage. Nationally, thunderstorms, low ceilings and visibility, wind, high traffic volume, equipment outages and runway issues are the usual causes.

Which air traffic control center handles DCA?

DCA is in the airspace of Washington Center (ZDC), one of the US Air Route Traffic Control Centers.

Is weather affecting DCA right now?

There are no weather alerts for the DCA area. Current conditions are VFR (wind 360° 6 kt · vis 10+ mi · ceiling 13,000 ft).

Which airports are near Washington National (DCA)?

The closest airports with pages on GroundStop.app are Washington Dulles (IAD, 23 mi), Baltimore/Washington (BWI, 30 mi), Richmond (RIC, 94 mi) and Philadelphia (PHL, 119 mi). In the last 90 days IAD had 21 ground stops, BWI had 18 ground stops, RIC had 1 ground stop, PHL had 27 ground stops, EWR had 54 ground stops.

What is the difference between a ground stop and a ground delay program?

A ground stop halts departures to an airport entirely until it is lifted. A ground delay program lets flights depart but assigns them later departure times to meter arrivals.

Washington National (DCA) delays and ground stop status

Arlington, VA · in Washington Center (ZDC) airspace

Listen to ATC

There is no ground stop at DCA as of Oct 15, 04:59 UTC.

Washington National (DCA, ICAO KDCA) serves Arlington, VA and sits in Washington Center (ZDC) airspace. Local time there is Thu, 2:39 AM EDT. In the last 90 days GroundStop.app recorded 28 ground stops at DCA, ranking #9 of 66 airports with ground stops (4% of 791 ground stops nationwide). A typical (median) ground stop there lasted 2 hr 15 min, against 1 hr 23 min nationally. The most recent began on Oct 13 (Eastern time), citing equipment outage.

No ground stop at DCA right now

No ground stops, delay programs or reported delays. Updated Oct 15, 04:59 UTC.

Weather nowVFRWind 360° 6 kt · Vis 10+ mi · Ceiling 13,000 ft

Delay outlook · 12 hLow

Outlook is low, though DCA has seen 28 ground stops in the last 90 days, so check flight status before leaving

28 ground stops here in the last 90 days
Some low clouds forecast 2:00 PM EDT–2:39 PM EDT

Check your flight

Enter your flight number to see its EDCT, the ground stop or delay program at its destination, and its status.

Airport map

Runways, taxiways, terminals and gates at Washington National, with aircraft on the ground and arriving or departing. Click a plane for its flight.

Delays now

Delay data unavailable right now.

Departures and arrivals

Flights at DCA from an hour ago to the next several hours, local time. Late means 15+ minutes behind schedule.

Board unavailable right now.

Refreshed every few minutes. Times are scheduled, with estimated or actual times below when they differ.

Weather at DCA

Current conditions and weather alerts

VFRgood conditions

Wind 360° 6 kt · Vis 10+ mi · Ceiling 13,000 ft

METAR KDCA 150452Z 36006KT 10SM FEW050 FEW070 BKN130 OVC250 24/20 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP155 T02440200 403220183

Observed Oct 15, 04:52 UTC (KDCA)

No weather alerts for this airport's area.

Full forecast at weather.gov

Weather briefing

Clear now, light rain and low clouds later

Delays possible

Now: Mostly clear skies with high clouds and a light breeze from the north.

Later: Light rain is expected from early Thursday morning, with clouds lowering through the day. Low clouds around 900 feet may develop after 11 PM Thursday.

Light rain from early morning could affect the day's departures
Low clouds after 11 PM Thursday could cause delays
Brief drizzle with reduced visibility possible around 1 AM

AI-written · may contain mistakes. Written from the latest METAR, TAF and weather alerts. Not for flight planning.

Forecast for DCA

Model forecast in local time (EDT). For official aviation forecasts, see the TAF.

Next 24 hours

Now73°6G1724%
1 AM72°6G1450%
2 AM71°6G1427%
3 AM70°6G1217%
4 AM67°7G1522%
5 AM66°7G1619%
6 AM64°7G1520%
7 AM63°7G1419%
8 AM62°7G1418%
9 AM61°6G1317%
10 AM61°6G1217%
11 AM61°516%
12 PM62°418%
1 PM61°417%
2 PM61°518%
3 PM61°520%
4 PM60°423%
5 PM60°424%
6 PM59°331%
7 PM59°3G840%
8 PM59°3G829%
9 PM59°3G1030%
10 PM60°4G1230%
11 PM61°4G1628%

Wind in knots (arrow shows where it blows) · chance of rain or snow

TodayOvercast · 51% · wind to 7 kt59° / 73°
FriSunny · 76% · wind to 12 kt58° / 86°
SatSunny · 57% · wind to 13 kt44° / 57°

Sunrise 7:17 AM Sunset 6:30 PM

TAF summary

Terminal forecast for DCA, valid 15/0300Z to 16/0600Z (UTC)

15/0300Z–1200Z
35005KT · 6+ mi · SCT 6,000, BKN 13,000 · light rain
VFR
15/1200Z–1800Z · From
02010KT · 6+ mi · OVC 4,000 · light rain
VFR
15/1800Z–2100Z · From
05004KT · 6+ mi · OVC 2,500 · light rain
MVFR
15/2100Z–0300Z · From
08005KT · 6+ mi · OVC 1,500 · light rain
MVFR
16/0300Z–0600Z · From
13006KT · 6+ mi · OVC 900
IFR

Decoded table and raw TAF

DCA history, forecast and airspace

Ground stops at DCA

Recorded by GroundStop.app, last 90 days

Last 30 days: 6
Last 90 days: 28
Average length: 2 hr 49 min
Longest: 10 hr 4 min

Most common reasons

thunderstorms · 23other · 2equipment outage · 1

DCA ground stop patterns

Last 90 days, against every airport with a recorded ground stop. Times are local (America/New_York).

National rank: #9 of 66
Share of all ground stops: 4% of 791
Median length: 2 hr 15 min; 1 hr 23 min nationally
Most common start: afternoon; noon–6 PM
Busiest day: Thursday
Latest ground stop: Oct 13; equipment outage

Start time, local (28 stops with a known start)

overnight midnight–6 AM0
morning 6 AM–noon4
afternoon noon–6 PM20
evening 6 PM–midnight4

Recent ground stops at DCA

Started	Length	Reason
Oct 13, 20:33 UTC	19 min	equipment outage
Oct 11, 18:19 UTC	31 min	low ceilings
Oct 9, 23:12 UTC	25 min	other
Sep 22, 23:03 UTC	3 hr 14 min	other
Sep 21, 18:33 UTC	1 hr 27 min	volume
Sep 17, 17:57 UTC	1 hr 3 min	thunderstorms
Sep 4, 18:10 UTC	5 hr 20 min	thunderstorms
Sep 3, 14:35 UTC	2 hr 20 min	thunderstorms
Sep 2, 16:53 UTC	3 hr 12 min	thunderstorms
Aug 30, 21:30 UTC	3 hr 45 min	thunderstorms

Every ground stop at DCA → · Replay the latest on the map

Forecast for DCA (TAF)

Issued 15/0306Z · valid 15/0300Z to 16/0600Z · times are UTC (Z)

When	Change	Category	Wind	Visibility	Clouds	Weather
15/0300Z–1200Z	Base	VFR	35005KT	6+ mi	SCT 6,000, BKN 13,000	light rain
15/1200Z–1800Z	From	VFR	02010KT	6+ mi	OVC 4,000	light rain
15/1800Z–2100Z	From	MVFR	05004KT	6+ mi	OVC 2,500	light rain
15/2100Z–0300Z	From	MVFR	08005KT	6+ mi	OVC 1,500	light rain
16/0300Z–0600Z	From	IFR	13006KT	6+ mi	OVC 900	—

TAF KDCA 150306Z 1503/1606 35005KT P6SM -RA SCT060 BKN130 FM151200 02010KT P6SM -RA OVC040 FM151800 05004KT P6SM -RA OVC025 FM152100 08005KT P6SM -RA OVC015 FM160300 13006KT P6SM OVC009

White outline: Washington Center. Open the live map

Other airports in Washington Center

BWIBaltimore/Washington IADWashington Dulles ORFNorfolk PHLPhiladelphia RDURaleigh-Durham RICRichmond

About Washington National

DCA at a glance

IATA / FAA code: DCA
ICAO code: KDCA
Location: Arlington, VA, United States
Coordinates: 38.8512° N, 77.0402° W
Time zone: America/New_York · now Thu, 2:39 AM EDT
ATC center (ARTCC): Washington Center (ZDC)
Ground stops, last 90 days: 28 (#9 of 66 airports)

Airports near DCA

Straight-line distance from DCA

IAD Washington Dulles
Dulles, VA · live ground stop status · 21 ground stops in 90 days
23 mi
38 km
BWI Baltimore/Washington
Baltimore, MD · live ground stop status · 18 ground stops in 90 days
30 mi
48 km
RIC Richmond
Richmond, VA · live ground stop status · 1 ground stop in 90 days
94 mi
152 km
PHL Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA · live ground stop status · 27 ground stops in 90 days
119 mi
192 km
ORF Norfolk
Norfolk, VA · live ground stop status · 0 ground stops in 90 days
143 mi
230 km
EWR Newark Liberty
Newark, NJ · live ground stop status · 54 ground stops in 90 days
198 mi
319 km

DCA ground stop FAQ

Is there a ground stop at Washington National (DCA) right now?: No. As of Oct 15, 04:59 UTC there is no ground stop at DCA. This page updates every minute.
How often does DCA have ground stops?: GroundStop.app recorded 28 ground stops at DCA in the last 90 days, lasting 2 hr 49 min on average (longest 10 hr 4 min). That ranks #9 of 66 airports with ground stops.
What causes ground stops at DCA?: Recently the most common reasons at DCA were thunderstorms, other, equipment outage. Nationally, thunderstorms, low ceilings and visibility, wind, high traffic volume, equipment outages and runway issues are the usual causes.
Which air traffic control center handles DCA?: DCA is in the airspace of Washington Center (ZDC), one of the US Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
Is weather affecting DCA right now?: There are no weather alerts for the DCA area. Current conditions are VFR (wind 360° 6 kt · vis 10+ mi · ceiling 13,000 ft).
Which airports are near Washington National (DCA)?: The closest airports with pages on GroundStop.app are Washington Dulles (IAD, 23 mi), Baltimore/Washington (BWI, 30 mi), Richmond (RIC, 94 mi) and Philadelphia (PHL, 119 mi). In the last 90 days IAD had 21 ground stops, BWI had 18 ground stops, RIC had 1 ground stop, PHL had 27 ground stops, EWR had 54 ground stops.
What is the difference between a ground stop and a ground delay program?: A ground stop halts departures to an airport entirely until it is lifted. A ground delay program lets flights depart but assigns them later departure times to meter arrivals.

New to this? What is a ground stop? · Ground stop vs. ground delay program