Are incoming flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor airport delayed due to low rain clouds?

1. Rain and low clouds are an immediate, documented cause of delays today

Local coverage by 12News reports Sky Harbor had "more than 90 flight delays" on Tuesday morning Nov. 18 and that the airport issued a "ground delay" advisory notifying travelers to expect an average delay of about 40 minutes specifically "due to low ceilings" as rainstorms moved across the Valley ^[1]. That piece directly connects today's incoming‑flight delays to weather conditions — rain and low cloud ceilings — rather than to an unrelated operational incident ^[1].

2. But weather is arriving against a backdrop of systemic capacity reductions

Multiple outlets earlier in November documented that Phoenix delays were already substantial because the FAA imposed capacity reductions and partial closures amid controller staffing shortfalls tied to the federal shutdown; examples include FAA‑ordered restricted operations Nov. 9–10 that affected roughly 500 flights and phased cuts up to about 10% at busy airports ^[4]. News accounts on Nov. 11–13 show hundreds of delays/cancellations (e.g., 78–106 delays and dozens of cancellations reported by FlightAware on successive days), attributing much of the disruption to FAA capacity cuts and staffing triggers ^{[5] [3] [2]}.

3. How to read today's delays: weather trigger vs. chronic stress

The reporting suggests a layered explanation: low ceilings and rain are the proximate trigger for the Nov. 18 ground delay advisory and the 40‑minute average delay cited ^[1], while the airport's ability to absorb weather‑related disruptions has been weakened by the month‑long operational limits and controller shortages documented earlier ^{[4] [2]}. In plain terms, the same rain that might cause modest delays in a fully staffed system can produce larger ripple effects when throughput is already capped ^{[4] [2]}.

4. What the FAA and airlines have done, and what that means for passengers

Reporting shows the FAA has used ground delay programs and phased capacity reductions at Sky Harbor to manage controller workload; that produced hundreds of impacted flights in mid‑November in several episodes ^{[4] [6]}. Airlines and the airport have advised travelers to check flight status and expect delays; 12News explicitly listed carriers affected (Southwest, Delta, United, American among others) for Nov. 18 ^[1]. Travelers should therefore expect both weather‑related timing changes and residual operational delays when planning arrival or pickup.

5. Alternative viewpoints and missing details

News pieces focused on immediate causes (rain/low ceilings) and on the systemic FAA staffing/capacity story; they do not quantify how much of Nov. 18's delay minutes are attributable solely to weather versus backlog from earlier FAA directives — that distinction is "not found in current reporting" among the provided sources ^{[1] [4]}. Likewise, available reporting does not include real‑time FAA Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) or air traffic control staffing rosters for Nov. 18 within these sources, so a definitive operational attribution beyond what the articles state cannot be made from the current set of documents ^{[1] [4]}.

6. Practical takeaway for readers

If you have an incoming flight to Sky Harbor today, treat the 12News ground delay advisory (average ~40 minutes) as the immediate advisory and double‑check with your airline for updates ^[1]. Consider that earlier November capacity cuts and controller staffing issues have repeatedly amplified delays across days ^{[4] [2]}, so even short weather events may cause longer waits than they would under normal operating capacity.

Sources cited above: 12News local weather/flight coverage (Nov. 18) reporting low ceilings and a ground delay advisory ^[1]; chronology of FAA capacity cuts, closures and staffing‑triggered delays across early–mid November including roughly 500 flights affected Nov. 9–10 ^{[4] [2] [3]}.