Strong airplane turbulence more likely with summer heat, climate change

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. A Delta spokesperson said details of how the pilots learned of and prepared for the conditions were part of the investigation.

Pre-flight planning and briefings, assisted by weather forecasting models, help pilots avoid trouble spots. Typically, routes are drawn to avoid any large storms with convective activity. Pilots are also trained to watch out for turbulence from mountain ranges.

Slack said the turbulence arising from convective activity, such as a thunderstorm, is usually easier to spot before and during a flight. Airplanes are equipped with weather radars that send alerts. Air traffic controllers may also provide updated weather information shared by other pilots, called ride reports, hundreds of miles away from a hazard.

“The rule of thumb is, stay as far away from that stuff as you can,” Slack said.

Another type of trouble, more difficult to navigate, is clear-air turbulence. It is caused when airplanes are hit with upward-moving air, or vertical wind shear, within the east and westbound air currents, known as jet streams, in which airplanes fly.

Climate scientists say the warming planet is causing clear air turbulence to become a greater concern. One study conducted by atmospheric scientists at the University of Reading in England last year found the “invisible, hard-to-predict” type of turbulence has become more prevalent in the Northern Hemisphere since 1980.