NAV CANADA has a ground delay program on arrivals into Toronto Pearson International Airport from 3:00 p.m. through 8:59 p.m. ET on August 12, 2026. The opened advisory assigns an average hold of 62 minutes and a maximum of 168 minutes because thunderstorms have cut the arrival rate.
That program covers every Canadian and contiguous U.S. departure headed to Pearson. If you are sitting in Chicago, New York, Boston, or Montreal with a late-afternoon Toronto landing, the hold starts before you push back, not after you see the skyline. The NAV CANADA CDM ground delay advisory 013 is the primary record. Treat it as separate from the already live EVA Air runway-work shift at Pearson on August 12 and 13.
- Window: Pearson arrivals 3:00 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. ET on August 12.
- Delay: Average 62 minutes; maximum 168 minutes.
- Cause: Thunderstorms reducing the airport arrival rate.
- Who is held: All Canadian and contiguous U.S. flights to YYZ.
- First check: Recheck wheels-up time before you leave for the origin airport.
What the advisory actually does
A ground delay program is not a ground stop.
Aircraft still depart, but air traffic control assigns a later takeoff so Pearson does not stack more arrivals than the storm-limited rate can accept.
Advisory 013 sets arrivals from 1900Z to 0059Z, which is 3:00 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. Eastern. The program rate starts at 38 arrivals an hour and later steps up to 60. That step-up is why an early-evening flight can look worse on paper than a later one, and why the 62-minute average is not a promise that every flight gets the same number.
The scope is wide. The flight-inclusion line is all Canadian and contiguous U.S. departures. The departure centers named in the second-tier list include New York, Boston, Washington, Cleveland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and the Canadian sectors that feed Pearson. A regional jet from Rochester and a widebody from Vancouver sit in the same metering bucket if both are bound for YYZ inside the window.
The maximum 168-minute assignment is the number that breaks a tight connection.
A 45-minute Pearson bank does not survive a two-hour-plus hold at the origin gate. Recheck the itinerary before you leave home, not after you have already checked a bag.
How this differs from the runway work already in force
Pearson already had a same-day operational wrinkle. EVA Air told customers that a partial runway closure on August 12 and 13 would move its Pearson departure, and Deep Arrival covered that carrier-specific stream separately. Today’s thunderstorm program is airport-wide and timed to weather, not to one airline’s overnight runway slot.
Do not fold the two into one story in your head.
A traveler on Air Canada from LaGuardia can be held by the storm GDP and never touch the EVA runway advisory. A traveler on EVA can be touched by both. Confirm which ticket you hold before you call either desk.
The FAA National Airspace System status board is the live U.S. surface that still lists the Toronto program while it is active. Use it to see whether the window was cancelled or extended. Do not use yesterday’s Chicago or San Francisco storm posts as a proxy for Pearson. Those were different hubs, different rates, and different hours.
Who should change plans this afternoon
Start with inbound connections after 3:00 p.m. ET. If the second flight leaves Pearson less than two hours after the first is due, the 168-minute peak is enough to miss it. Ask the airline for a same-day protected option while you still have leverage, which is before the first aircraft has left the U.S. gate.
Domestic Canada travelers are in the same bucket. A late-afternoon Ottawa or Montreal turn through Pearson is just as exposed as a New York bank. The advisory does not exempt short hops.
People already in the air toward Toronto cannot change the assigned time. Their useful move is different: watch the airline app for a new arrival, tell the person meeting the flight, and do not assume Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 pickup curbs stay calm if several banks land late together.
Air Canada is the dominant carrier in that connecting web. Deep Arrival’s Air Canada planning guide is the right evergreen page if you need the carrier’s U.S. route map, Aeroplan rules, or how a missed bank usually gets restacked. Pair it with the airline’s own flight-status and disruption pages, not with a screenshot of this advisory.
What to do at the origin airport
The hold happens at the departure airport. You may sit at a gate in Newark or Detroit while Pearson works through a storm cell. That is by design. It is cheaper and safer than holding a line of aircraft in the Toronto arrival stream.
Arrive at the origin on your original ticket time unless the airline has already retimed the flight. A GDP does not automatically move the airport security clock. If the airline later pushes the departure by an hour, you can use that extra time. Do not invent it yourself and miss a flight that still leaves on the old stamp.
If the airline offers a same-day change to a morning Toronto arrival tomorrow, compare that against tonight’s last inbound. A 62-minute average can still get you in before the airport hotels fill. A 168-minute assignment plus a missed connection can dump you into a sold-out Pearson night.
Picture a couple on a 4:10 p.m. LaGuardia departure with a 7:05 p.m. westbound from Terminal 1. They should not wait at the gate hoping the bank waits. They should ask for the next guaranteed seat before the first aircraft doors close.
Keep the three checks discrete. Recheck the assigned departure. Protect any Pearson connection under two hours. Treat the EVA runway notice as a second, separate constraint only if you are on that carrier.
| If you | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fly into Pearson after 3:00 p.m. ET today | Recheck the airline app before you leave home and expect a 62-minute hold, with 168 minutes possible. |
| Have a Pearson connection under two hours | Ask for a protected later inbound or a through rebook before the first aircraft leaves. |
| Are on EVA Air at Pearson tonight or Thursday | Read the runway-work notice as a second constraint, not as this storm program. |
| Are already airborne to Toronto | Watch the new arrival time and tell your pickup. You cannot undo the assigned hold. |
| Were connecting through Chicago or San Francisco instead | Use those airports’ own August 12 programs. This advisory is Pearson only. |
- Leave on the original report time unless the airline has already retimed the flight.
- Protect tight banks: A 168-minute peak breaks most Pearson connections under two hours.
- Keep streams apart: Storm metering is not the EVA runway closure.
- Use the live board: Recheck NASSTATUS before you assume the window expired.
- Call before wheels-up: Same-day changes are easier at the origin gate than after a missed Toronto bank.
If your flight is due into Pearson after 3:00 p.m. ET, treat 62 minutes as the working number and 168 minutes as possible. Rebook a tight connection before you leave for the airport.
How long will Toronto Pearson delays last on August 12?
NAV CANADA’s opened program covers arrivals from 3:00 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. ET. The average assigned delay is 62 minutes and the maximum is 168 minutes.
Does the Toronto ground delay affect U.S. flights?
Yes. The advisory includes all contiguous U.S. departures as well as all Canadian departures headed to Pearson inside the window.
Is this the same as the EVA Air runway closure at Pearson?
No. The EVA notice is a carrier-specific runway-work change on August 12 and 13. Today’s program is an airport-wide thunderstorm ground delay.
Should I go to the airport at the original time?
Yes, unless your airline has already issued a new departure. A ground delay program holds the aircraft at the origin. It does not automatically move security cutoff.
Where can travelers check if the program is still active?
Use the airline app plus the FAA National Airspace System status board. Cancelled or extended windows show there first.
