NEWARK, NJ – A new report by The Weather Channel lists the tri-state area’s regional international airport as the worst in the nation when it comes to weather-related delays, but Newark Airport in New Jersey is the absolute worst.
After analyzing a decade of data by TWC, Newark Liberty International Airport has emerged as the most weather-delayed major hub in the United States. The study, which focused on 30 major U.S. airports, revealed that almost two-thirds of delays at Newark are due to weather conditions.
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics conducted the study. They assessed weather delays from 2011 to 2019 and from September 2022 through August 2023, deliberately omitting 2020 through August 2022 to minimize the pandemic’s impact on air travel. The ranking was based on a composite index combining the raw number of weather delays and the percentage of all delay minutes attributable to weather.
Newark Liberty International Airport experienced 201,927 weather delays, the third highest among the airports studied. Remarkably, 64.81% of all delay minutes at Newark were due to weather, the highest percentage recorded. This significant proportion of weather-related delays earned the airport a composite index of 4, placing it at the top of the list for weather-related disruptions.
Key weather issues at Newark include snow, low clouds/fog, wind, and thunderstorms. Notably, wind poses a frequent challenge due to the airport’s runway orientation, which often faces crosswinds from the west to northwest.
The report also highlights other major airports in the New York City area prone to weather delays. Philadelphia International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and New York LaGuardia Airport also feature prominently on the list, each with unique weather challenges contributing to their high ranking in terms of delay frequency and duration.
This comprehensive analysis underscores the intricate relationship between weather conditions and air travel, particularly in the Northeast U.S., where complex weather patterns frequently intersect with some of the nation’s busiest air traffic corridors.