Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July. Get details Chevron right
Severe storms, flash flooding to bring July Fourth holiday travel hassles. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

77°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

77°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Astronomy

3 types of weather that can delay a SpaceX launch

Extensive planning goes into every launch, but all of the hard work by countless people can be derailed at the last second by Mother Nature, forcing a highly-anticipated launch to be postponed.

By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor

Copied

Rocket launches are amazing to watch, but they're also at the mercy of the weather. Here's how NASA and SpaceX deals with inclement weather prior to launch.

The countdown reaches zero, the roar of engines fills the air and a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes to the sky on its journey to space, but this spectacle cannot take place unless everything goes perfectly, including the weather.

Extensive planning goes into every launch, but all of the hard work by countless people can be derailed at the last second by Mother Nature, forcing a highly-anticipated launch to be postponed.

Forecasting duties are handled by the Space Launch Delta 45, part of the United States Space Force, with meteorologists that meticulously go over every aspect of the weather to ensure that a launch can be conducted safely.

Mr. David Craft, 45th Weather Squadron launch weather officer, led his team through harsh weather and lightning conditions leading up to a rocket launch on Aug. 26, 2017. (US Air Force/Phil Sunkel)

The weather criteria are slightly different for every rocket but are all curated with safety in mind. A few extra weather precautions are taken into account when a rocket is launching a crewed spacecraft.

Here are the types of weather that can delay a SpaceX rocket launch.

1. Lightning

Florida is sometimes called the lightning capital of the United States, and for good reason. Thunderstorms can pop up at virtually any time of the year, posing a major issue when it comes to launching rockets through the atmosphere.

A rocket is like a lightning rod flying through the sky, and a lightning strike could be catastrophic. Even if it doesn’t trigger the rocket to explode, a bolt can damage computers or another crucial system onboard.

Apollo 12, the second mission to the surface of the moon, almost had to abort the mission 36 seconds after liftoff when the Saturn V rocket was struck by lightning. Fortunately, swift thinking by mission control allowed the crew to circumvent the issues caused by the lightning, allowing a successful trip to the moon.

Falcon 9 with Dragon #spaceX #dm1 shadow on the haze and lightning in the distance @considercosmos pic.twitter.com/ZgzUl81jEy

— Ryan Chylinski 🚀 (@ryanchylinski) March 7, 2019

The rules for launching rockets are similar to the rules adopted by many outdoor sporting venues, such as football stadiums or golf courses.

Launch of the rocket is not permitted if there has been a lightning strike within 10 nautical miles of the launch pad within the past 30 minutes, according to NASA. Additionally, a rocket will remain grounded if a thunderstorm’s anvil cloud is in the area.

Each launch pad is outfitted with lightning rods around the rocket so that if a thunderstorm tracks directly overhead, lightning is more likely to strike the lightning rods than the rocket.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket seconds after liftoff. The four towers at the launch pad are lightning rods to protect the rocket if a thunderstorm moves over the launch pad. (SpaceX-Imagery)

Even if no lightning has been detected in the area, the risk of lightning could still cause a delay.

Instruments stationed all around Cape Canaveral measure the amount of electricity in the atmosphere, and if the readings are high enough, launching a rocket can trigger a lightning strike.

“A launch vehicle and its plume ascending through clouds can trigger lightning at lower electrical fields than required for natural lightning,” NASA explained. “That's because the vehicle and the plume act as conductors and decrease the electrical field strength necessary to create a lightning flash.”

2. Strong winds

It could be a bright, sunny day at Cape Canaveral, but the weather could still stop a SpaceX launch well before the countdown hits zero.

If the winds are too fast, it can force a launch to be postponed. Strong winds can disrupt a rocket that is racing through the atmosphere, both at the launchpad and miles above the ground.

At the launch pad, sustained winds cannot exceed 30 mph. Even if winds are just below this limit at 29 mph, the launch may be delayed out of an abundance of caution.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

At higher levels of the atmosphere, there is a phenomenon known as wind shear that forecasters must monitor. 

Wind shear is the change in winds through different layers of the atmosphere, so if there is a big difference in wind speeds over a short distance, it can disrupt the path of the rocket.

It is also one of the biggest factors in the development of tropical systems.

3. Weather downrange

With SpaceX now launching humans into space, both for NASA or for a private crew of civilians, there are more weather conditions that need to be taken into account before the engines of the Falcon 9 rocket ignite.

The weather conditions at the launch pad can be perfect, but in the event that the crew needs to abort the launch before reaching space, the weather downrange needs to be clear.

Crewed launches lift off from Florida’s east coast and travel eastward over the Atlantic Ocean, so more factors need to be taken into account beyond lightning and wind.

The height of waves needs to be considered along the rocket’s projected path, so that if the crew aborts, they splash down in a calm ocean and not a turbulent ocean near a storm or a hurricane.

“Downrange weather is monitored at more than 50 locations along the ascent track along the North American Eastern Seaboard and across the North Atlantic,” NASA explained.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon 2 spacecraft lifts off on pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center for a re-supply mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, June 3, 2021. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

SpaceX also prefers calm weather downrange for when the company attempts to land and recover the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating platform in the middle of the ocean.

The launch can be a success without the landing going smoothly, but being able to recover, refurbish and reuse this part of the rocket helps the company save money and reduce its impact on the environment.

Related:

SpaceX launch creates mesmerizing clouds over East Coast
‘Mega comet’ 60 miles wide is coming in 2031
5 dark areas in the US perfect for stargazing

For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Recreation

Boulders narrowly miss swimmers at popular Utah waterfall

Jun. 27, 2025
Weather Forecasts

July 4 Forecast: Thunderstorms to focus over Upper Midwest and Florida

Jul. 1, 2025
Weather News

Girl, 8, rescued after 7 hours in flooded sewer in China

Jun. 27, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Severe storms, flash flooding to bring July 4 holiday travel hassles

4 hours ago

Weather News

Storm chaser stages whirlwind proposal with real tornado

6 hours ago

Weather News

Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July

4 hours ago

Astronomy

July offers rare meteor shower combo, stunning views of the Milky Way

5 days ago

Weather News

Flights cancelled as Atlanta airport recovers from severe weather

2 days ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

8 hours ago

Recreation

Two people rescued after going overboard on Disney cruise ship

9 hours ago

Weather News

Fossil reveals ‘Last of Us’-type fungus likely lived with dinosaurs

6 days ago

Health

'Inverse' vaccines may hold key to challenge autoimmune diseases

1 day ago

Weather News

World’s most liveable city for 2025 revealed

1 week ago

AccuWeather Astronomy 3 types of weather that can delay a SpaceX launch
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...