Which weather can close an airport?
How much wind is required for airports to close and keep planes on the ground?
Airports close, if weather conditions make up a threat to planes and passengers. As take-off and landing are the most critical times of a flight, the rules are very strict. Many types of weather can close an airport: snow on the runways, fog that blinds pilots, or freezing rain which affects the planes' airworthiness by leaving ice on wings, and more besides.
However, wind is rarely a problem. Planes require fewer metres of runway for take-off against the wind, as the wind provides lift. The only exception is microbursts, of which both pilots and air traffic controllers are highly aware. A microburst is an area of the atmosphere, in which the wind blows down-wards. Microbursts typically occur in connection with thunderstorms, in which heavy, cold rain cools the air in an area below the cloud. Cold air is heavier than warm air, so it will move down towards Earth’s surface. In extreme cases, the vertical wind speed could come close to 250 km/h, which could quickly force a plane towards the ground. Microbursts are difficult to predict, and so, airports often choose to close, as a thunderstorm is passing.