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.

Severe turbulence is statistically very rare, occurring in only a tiny fraction of the millions of flights that take off every year. While "light" or "moderate" turbulence—the kind that causes the plane to jiggle or makes it difficult to pour a drink—is quite common, "severe" turbulence involves large, abrupt changes in altitude or attitude where the aircraft may be momentarily out of control. Pilots are trained to avoid these areas using sophisticated weather radar and reports from other aircraft. According to aviation data, only a few dozen passengers out of hundreds of millions are seriously injured by turbulence annually, and almost all of those injuries occur to people who are not wearing their seatbelts. Modern aircraft are engineered to withstand forces far greater than those generated by even the most extreme turbulence. As of 2026, technology like "Clear Air Turbulence" detection is improving, but the best defense remains the simple act of keeping your seatbelt fastened whenever you are seated, even if the sign is off, to protect against the rare but unpredictable "bumps" that can occur in seemingly clear skies.