The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has closed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to allow airport crews to remove snow from the runways.
Winter weather hit nation’s capital today with the region seeing a significant amount of snow, with heavy accumulations affecting not only the city streets but also airports. On the morning of January 6th, a powerful snowstorm blanketed the area and the National Weather Service predicted up to 6 inches of snow in some parts of the metropolitan region.
For Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, this meant a complete shutdown of operations, as snow accumulation on runways and safety concerns for airport ground crews and travelers led to the decision.
With blizzard-like conditions hampering visibility and making transportation around the airport difficult, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop, halting both arriving and departing flights for several hours. The airport’s runways are expected to remain closed overnight as crews work to prevent freezing at the airfield.
Update – we will be closing all DCA runways Monday evening so airport crews can focus on snow removal and prevent refreezing on the airfield. https://t.co/52bxuAjWvR
— Reagan Airport (@Reagan_Airport) January 6, 2025
The airport is encouraging travelers to check with their respective airlines for flight information. While flights have been suspended for the day, they are expected to resume tomorrow morning. Some airlines, including American Airlines which operates a hub at the airport, proactively cancelled flights before the storm hit the D.C. area.
This snowfall and wintry weather at Reagan National is part of a larger storm system blanketing the country this week, with snow expected as far south as Texas. This will likely lead to a whole slew of flight delays and cancellations and will impact operations for most major U.S. carriers.
Summary
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has closed its runways for the night to allow crews to perform snow removal and anti-icing activities. The airport is expected to remain closed to airline traffic until Tuesday morning, impacting hundreds of flights.
