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Are incoming flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor airport delayed due to low rain clouds? Please give me a brief summary with one sentence per section.
Executive summary
Rain and low cloud ceilings have repeatedly triggered FAA ground-delay or ground-stop advisories at Phoenix Sky Harbor, causing hundreds of delayed flights during several recent storms (for example: 615 delayed on March 7; a ground delay for low ceilings)[1][2]. However, during November 2025 the dominant, widely reported cause of ongoing delays and cancellations at Sky Harbor was air‑traffic‑controller staffing and FAA capacity reductions tied to the government shutdown, not weather [3][4][5].
1. Weather: low clouds and rain can — and have — forced ground delays
Multiple local reports show that when Phoenix experienced rainy storms and low cloud ceilings the FAA has issued ground delays or ground stops for Sky Harbor, producing hundreds of delayed flights and average ground delays (examples include March 7 with a 74‑minute average delay and October 13 with more than 200–300 delays attributed to low ceilings)[1][6][7].
2. How low ceilings affect arrivals: FAA ground delays explained
Ground delays are used when adverse conditions at the destination — such as low cloud ceilings or heavy rain that reduce landing capacity or safety margins — force flights headed to an airport to delay departure, and several Phoenix incidents explicitly tie low ceilings to FAA advisories that slowed or stopped arrivals [1][8].
3. Recent November 2025 disruptions: staffing and FAA capacity cuts dominated
Coverage across November shows Phoenix Sky Harbor’s persistent cancellations and delays were repeatedly attributed to air‑traffic‑control staffing shortages and an FAA order to cut capacity at 40 busy airports during the government shutdown; reporting cited dozens to hundreds of delayed or canceled flights tied to those staffing and capacity constraints (examples: 106 delayed/56 canceled on Nov. 13 and many earlier FAA‑mandated ground delays)[3][5][4].
4. Where weather still plays a role — but context matters
News outlets from earlier in 2025 and in October/September show weather remains a clear and separate cause of major disruptions — heavy rain, thunderstorms or low ceilings have prompted ground stops and hundreds of delays on distinct occasions — so weather is an established, recurring cause even if it was not the primary cause in every recent report [2][8][9].
5. Mixed causes can coincide: don’t assume a single culprit
Reports indicate delays at Sky Harbor have arisen from overlapping factors: weather (low ceilings, rain, thunderstorms) and operational constraints (controller staffing shortages, FAA capacity reductions); several stories note that weather elsewhere or nationwide issues can compound local impacts, so a given delay may reflect multiple inputs [10][5][1].
6. Current snapshot (Nov. 18, 2025): rain/low ceilings cited in that morning’s advisory
On Nov. 18, 12News reported Sky Harbor had more than 90 delays and that a ground‑delay advisory warned of average delays around 40 minutes "due to low ceilings" associated with rainstorms crossing the Valley, showing that on that day weather/low clouds were explicitly blamed for incoming delays [11].
7. Earlier November trend: staffing‑driven reductions led to larger‑scale disruption
Throughout early and mid‑November, multiple outlets — including azcentral, AZFamily and Axios Phoenix — documented FAA‑ordered capacity reductions and controller staffing shortages that produced large numbers of delays and cancellations (examples: 78 delayed/55 canceled on Nov. 11; FAA capacity reductions and 4–10% cuts at major airports) and those stories present staffing as the principal cause for many November disruptions [4][3][12].
8. Practical takeaway for travelers: check both weather and FAA/airline notices
Because both low ceilings/rain and FAA staffing/capacity orders have caused delays at Sky Harbor, travelers should check the airport’s live advisories, the FAA maps, and their airline status before heading to PHX — the airport’s own guidance notes that weather or other conditions elsewhere can affect flights [10][7].
9. Competing viewpoints and caveats in local reporting
Local outlets uniformly report that weather causes delays when it does, and other outlets emphasize policy/staffing impacts during the shutdown; reporters sometimes attribute specific days to one dominant cause (weather or staffing), but reporting also acknowledges that FlightAware/FAA tallies mix arrivals and departures and that not every cancellation or delay is neatly categorized [1][5][10].
10. Bottom line — short answer to your question
Yes — low rain clouds and associated low ceilings have, on multiple occasions, delayed incoming flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor (FAA ground delays/ground stops due to low ceilings and rain are documented)[1][2]; but in the November 2025 coverage many of the largest, ongoing disruptions were driven primarily by FAA staffing shortages and mandated capacity reductions during the government shutdown, so the dominant cause depends on the specific day and advisory [4][3].
Limitations: available sources do not mention your specific flight number or status; for a current, flight‑level answer consult the airline, Sky Harbor’s live page, or the FAA advisories cited in the above stories [10].