Bay Area Storm Leads To 33 Flight Cancelations, Many More Delays

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, CA — Rainy weather and low clouds led to at least 33 cancellations at San Francisco International Airport, mostly affecting short-haul flights up and down the West Coast, an airport spokesman said Thursday afternoon.

Roughly a quarter of the flights at SFO were also experiencing delays averaging from 45 minutes to an hour, spokesman Doug Yakel said.

A ground delay program, where aircraft in other cities are assigned a departure time that facilitates orderly arrival at SFO even in low visibility conditions, is currently in place and delays are expected to persist for much of the day.

"Based on the forecast, it looks like the rain's probably going to let up by mid-afternoon," Yakel said earlier Thursday. "I think our bed is made for today, but with each new day it's essentially a fresh start for airlines."

— By Bay City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone