Why do thunderstorms delay planes?

The winds and other factors simply exceed the design limitations of even the most advanced airliners. For example, during the microburst phase of a typical thunderstorm the wind blows straight down with such speed and force that even high-powered jets can be damaged or worse…



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Many planes have been lost to thunderstorm encounters in which the plane broke apart in the turbulence. Not only can strong air motion break an airplane apart, but it can also cause a plane to lose altitude rapidly. This effect is referred to as a downdraft.

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The type of weather that delays and cancels flights is called inclement weather. Inclement weather is categorized as thunderstorms, snowstorms, wind shear, icing, and fog. Any inclement weather is by far the most hazardous. This is the type of weather that causes the most cancellations and delays, not just rain.

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Do Flights Get Cancelled Due to Thunderstorms? Yes, this can happen. In fact, many flights are cancelled regularly around the world due to thunderstorms making it dangerous or impossible to take off.

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What does IATA say about airport lightning rules? The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says to issue lightning alerts at 5 miles (8 km) and stop operations at 3 miles (5 km). They suggest using a 3-mile critical radius and resuming operations once the lightning activity has moved beyond this radius.

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Rain is just water, no matter the pressure. Modern aircraft can generate lift regardless of the heaviness of the rain. Planes can and will take off and land in the rain. The only real problem with heavy rainfall is the decrease in visibility for the pilots.

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The lifting of the warm air by the sloping frontal surface and friction between the two opposing air masses produce turbulence in the frontal zone. This turbulence is most marked when the warm air is moist and unstable and will be extremely severe if thunderstorms develop.

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Airlines websites — all airlines also provide information on their flight status. You can check the status of your flight by going to your airline website and entering the details of your flights, and you will know in a second if your flight is on-time, delayed or cancelled.

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In fact, statistics show that thunderstorms have very little impact on flight schedules and are not likely to cause too many issues like delays or flight cancellations. In fact, an even more surprising statistic is that almost every commercial plane in use today has already been struck by lightning in the past.

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These cloud-borne updrafts and downdrafts result in rapid and unpredictable changes to the lift force on the wings of an aircraft. More or less lift and the difference between these changes is what causes the aircraft to lurch and jump about during flight, or turbulence as it is called within the industry.

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Lightning protection on airplanes may include: Wire bundle shields. Ground straps. Composite structure expanded foils, wire mesh, aluminum flame spray coating, embedded metallic wire, metallic picture frames, diverter strips, metallic foil liners, coated glass fabric, and bonded aluminum foil.

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No, tornadoes do not affect commercial airplanes flying over or near the tornado zone. Tornadoes are typically too small and localized to have an effect on a large aircraft like a commercial airliner.

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According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), there are tarmac delay rules that US airlines must follow: Carriers are not allowed to hold a domestic flight on the tarmac for more than three hours and an international flight for more than four hours, barring a couple of exceptions (like if the pilot deems it's ...

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