Is turbulence worse at certain times of the year?
Q: Are airplanes more likely to experience more turbulence during one season than another?
— Kris, Virginia
A: Each season has challenges: Summer has thunderstorms and tropical storms.
Autumn has late tropical storms (usually the quietest season).
Winter has higher winds, blizzards and more clear air turbulence.
Spring has fast-moving fronts and high winds, causing severe squall lines.
Each of these events can cause turbulence. It depends on the vagaries of the year’s weather which season is worse or has more frequent turbulence.
Q: I’ve noticed there is a lot less turbulence at night than during the day. Am I wrong ?
— Guy, Victoriaville, Quebec
A: You are correct. At night, there is much less atmospheric heating, which can cause turbulence.
Q: On a recent flight from Washington, D.C., to Bangor, Maine, we took off in moderate turbulence until we got above the clouds. The last bump was a severe vertical upward movement where everyone went up and came back down hard into our seats. This jolt was so loud that many passengers gasped, and my son thought he heard the plane crack. I assured him we were safe. The flight was quite smooth immediately after. Is there a term or explanation for this type of turbulence? — Mike, Pasadena, Md.
A: It sounds as if you may have encountered a cumulus cloud that was growing quickly. The updrafts within some cumulus clouds can be forceful. Once you exited the column of rising air, it was smooth.
The crack your son heard was the flexing of the interior. You were right in your comment to your son — you were safe. Airplanes are designed to withstand much more turbulence than most people ever experience.
Q: I recently encountered severe turbulence on a Boeing 777. As I was sitting next to the wings, I could hear the engine power change every time we hit an air pocket. Why does engine power fluctuate in turbulence?
— Anna, Finland
A: The auto-throttle system responds to fluctuations in the airspeed, causing the change in engine thrust. The auto-throttle system maintains the commanded speed by varying the thrust.
Q: How difficult is it to read your instruments during turbulence?
— Gerry, Barcelona
A: Reading the instruments during turbulence is a skill that pilots learn. General information is often all that is required, such as altitude within 100 feet or airspeed within 10 knots. The airplane manufacturers are very careful to produce instruments that are easy to read in all flight conditions. Modern airplanes display information much better than older ones, making it easier to get the necessary information during turbulence.