Weather is just one of the reasons you may experience turbulence during your flight.
What causes turbulence?
This question is multi-pronged; theres no one thing behind the rough air your plane may encounter.
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Essentially, turbulence is unstable movement in the atmosphere.
Do some routes have worse turbulence?
Fortunately, pilots have resources to help mitigate these risks.
“Fasten Seatbelt” sign on the back of an airplane chair.Techa Tungateja/Getty Images
Plus, the flight team generally has a heads-up on the conditions theyre about to fly into.
Pilots receive timely updates, helping to reduce the element of being surprised by unforecasted turbulence, says Duncan.
Our ability to forecast the location, timing, and severity of turbulence has also advanced.
Pilots receive advance reports about turbulence along their routes.
SIGMETs provide dispatchers with critical data to relay to pilots regarding hazardous weather affecting the aircraft, says Duncan.
And if youre planning on sleeping during the flight?
As someone who flies frequently, I’ve noticed many passengers disregard the seatbelt sign.
Turbulence can indeed be unpredictable, with sudden shifts of varying intensity.
It’s difficult to know the throw in of shear an aircraft might experience, he warns.
Is turbulence getting worse?
Short answer: Yes, turbulence is getting worse.
That said, turbulence reporting has also significantly improved.
Machine learning algorithms analyze historical weather data and turbulence observations, enhancing their accuracy as more data is gathered.
These algorithms use the latest weather forecast model data to identify areas of potential turbulence.
