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At what wind speeds are flights cancelled?

There is no single maximum wind speed that cancels flights, as it depends on the direction of wind and phase of flight. A crosswind above about 40mph and a tailwind above 10mph can start to cause problems and stop commercial jets from taking off and landing.



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There is no single maximum wind limit as it depends on the direction of wind and phase of flight. A crosswind above about 40mph and tailwind above 10mph can start to cause problems and stop commercial jets taking off and landing.

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In general, the answer is yes.

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Call the Airline or Check Its Website Often When you have an upcoming flight, you can typically get information on any potential delays or cancellations by calling the airline often or checking its website.

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What can cause a cancellation? Flights may be canceled due to wind, precipitation, fog or low visibility, lightning, low clouds, or storms.

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There is no single maximum wind limit as it depends on the direction of wind and phase of flight. A crosswind above about 40mph and tailwind above 10mph can start to cause problems and stop commercial jets taking off and landing. It can sometimes be too windy to take-off or land.

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With this in mind, horizontal winds (also known as “crosswinds”) in excess of 30-35 kts (about 34-40 mph) are generally prohibitive of take-off and landing. As far as how this happens, it depends on where you are in flight.

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How Thunderstorms Effects Flights. Generally, flights get canceled or delayed when air traffic indicates to airports about the thunderstorms or severe weather conditions that could occur on airplanes that are about to take off. It's the most measured and in-time decision that is being made by the airlines.

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For example, the Boeing 737 has a maximum crosswind landing factor of 30 knots (just over 55 mph). So that answers the second part of your question. Yes, a 'plane can land in 50 mph winds.

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Inclement weather, such as thunderstorm, hurricane, or blizzard. Late arrival of the aircraft to be used for the flight from a previous flight. Maintenance problems with the aircraft. Security issues.

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