How do I know if my flight will be turbulent?

Turbulence Forecast is a great website that shows you both domestic and international turbulence PIREPs (or Pilot Reports) and potential nuisance areas based on weather, etc. PIREPs are going to be the most accurate in my opinion as they are reported in real time by aircraft flying through that specific area.



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While pilots can't actually see turbulence, they often know what is coming up, thanks to reports from other planes, weather reports, and radar equipment. However, clear air turbulence (severe turbulence occurring in cloudless areas) can sometimes catch pilots off guard.

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Always take the earliest morning flights possible since the air is smoothest earlier in the day. Fly the largest jet possible so you'll feel fewer bumps while in the air. When possible, plan your trips for fall or spring when the weather conditions are consistently better.

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If a plane is flying along at a constant speed and height, then suddenly the headwind reduces, or it enters a descending column of air, this can cause the aircraft to suddenly descend, Gratton explained.

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For nervous flyers, turbulence can be frightening, especially when it's severe. Some might even think that these strong forces would be enough to break the aircraft. In reality, airplanes, especially large airliners, are built with enough strength to withstand almost all naturally occurring turbulence.

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In all, about 65,000 flights encounter moderate turbulence every year, and about 5,500 encounter severe turbulence, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

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Winter has strong winds and blizzards, and summer's hot heat can create unstable air, thunderstorms, and tropical storms. That means flying during the holidays often means more turbulence than other times of the year. So if possible, avoid flying between December and February or June and August for a smoother flight.

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DENVER (CBS4) – Colorado and the Rocky Mountains are among the worst areas for turbulence in the United States. It's a problem that injures dozens of passengers and crew members nationwide every year.

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At times like this, pilots will slow to a designated “turbulence penetration speed” to ensure high-speed buffet protection (don't ask) and prevent damage to the airframe. We can also request higher or lower altitudes, or ask for a revised routing.

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How To Deal With Turbulence
  1. 1) Understand why turbulence occurs. ...
  2. 2) Know the facts and stats. ...
  3. 3) Buckle up. ...
  4. 4) Have faith in your pilot. ...
  5. 5) Breathing exercises. ...
  6. 6) Do an activity to put your mind elsewhere. ...
  7. 7) Sit in a seat that is good for avoiding turbulence. ...
  8. 8) Fly at times when turbulence is less severe.


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“Turbulence is serious if you are not tethered down in the airplane. It's serious from an internal perspective but it's not harmful to the airplane. So, when people get frightened in turbulence, as long as they're buckled, and there's nothing around them that's going to fly around,” they are safe, explains Kiernan.

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Airports with highest turbulence
Severe turbulence from mountain waves tends to be stronger than from jet streams, also contributing to a higher average value. The most turbulent airport of 2022: Xigazê, Tibet.

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Should you be scared of turbulence? The short answer is no, and rest assured that the pilots know how uncomfortable turbulence can make passengers feel. And know that no aircraft has ever crashed because of turbulence. Turbulence has not caused an airplane to crash, Biddle said.

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Turbulence is a sudden and sometimes violent shift in airflow. Those irregular motions in the atmosphere create air currents that can cause passengers on an airplane to experience annoying bumps during a flight, or it can be severe enough to throw an airplane out of control. (The pilots) aren't scared at all.

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Severe turbulence, he added, is “quite rare — only 0.1% of the atmosphere at 40,000 feet has severe turbulence in it, so if you're on a plane it's very unlikely that your plane will hit that 0.1%.”

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Pilots know that flying safely in threatening turbulence requires slowing to VA, the maneuvering speed. This assures that the airplane will stall before its limit load factor can be exceeded. Such a stall is momentary and protects the structure against damaging loads.

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