In the late spring of this year I was delayed at Dca on AA from about 9 p.m. until midnight because of a freezing drizzle. During this three hours we could watch automobile traffic whizzing by on the GW Parkway that runs past the airport. We could not get a gate because departing aircraft could not push back in freezing drizzle.
It was painful and frustrating as all of my public transport options disappeared for the night as we waited. In these circumstances airline pax have to become somewhat "Japanese" in order to survive the tense, cramped conditions in the aircraft cabin.