We humans are much more sensitive to the rate of change, how fast you are going up or down, than the depth of the dip. Turbulence can very rarely cause a change of up to 100 metres, but it is almost always less than 30m.

During severe turbulence, a plane can experience rapid changes in altitude that feel much more dramatic than they actually are. In typical moderate turbulence, a plane might shift or "drop" only 10 to 40 feet. However, in extreme cases, such as "Clear Air Turbulence" (CAT) or severe mountain waves, a plane can drop several hundred feet in a matter of seconds. While rare, there have been historical reports of aircraft dropping over 1,000 feet during exceptionally violent weather events. It is important to note that modern aircraft are engineered to withstand these stresses, and the "drop" is usually the plane simply moving with a rapidly descending air pocket. The primary danger during these drops is not to the aircraft's structural integrity, but to passengers and crew who are not buckled in, as the sudden loss of altitude can cause unbelted individuals to hit the ceiling of the cabin with significant force.