Thunderstorms in Aviation




 If you have traveled by commercial air a time or two, then you have most likely experienced the dreaded delayed flight. It is just one of those things that are hard to plan for. One of the main causes for these delays is the weather, but more specifically, thunderstorms. Thunderstorms can sometimes completely stop all operations of an airport, from not letting airplanes take off or even land, to preventing or slowing down ground operations. So why do thunderstorms have this much of an effect? A lot of it has to do with what comes with it. The obvious danger is the lightings strikes, but there are a few more hazards that come with these thunderstorms. For instance, wind shear is a sudden change in the direction of the wind, this can be especially dangerous during takeoff and landing. The storm could cause hail or even icing of the aircraft, and this could stop the aircraft from functioning properly. Then in extreme cases, the storm could cause tornados, I’m sure you can guess how that one could be dangerous. What causes these thunderstorms can be narrowed down to three things, an unstable atmosphere, a decent amount of moisture in the air, and a lifting motion. One example of this is when a cold front takes over a warm front. The cold front will push the warm front further up and since the warm front has more moisture in it this could result in thunderstorms. This could also happen in an occluded front.

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Machol, R. E., & Barnett, A. (1988). Thunderstorms and Aviation Safety—A Dialogue. Interfaces, 18(2), 20-27.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). (2016). Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK).  

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