Many people fly this summer and most of them don’t like the turbulence in the air.
So which airports are most prone to turbulence and why?
And if you’re flying to one of these destinations, how can you minimize the risk of turbulence?
All will be revealed in this blog.
Recently, the website about aircraft turbulence, Turblireleased its analysis of the most chaotic airports in North America (see results below). The top two airports are Portland and Denver.
I can certainly confirm the results in Denver, where I fly frequently (the National Center for Atmospheric Research, NCAR, is located near Boulder).
So why are landing and taking off at these locations so chaotic?
It all has to do with geography and nearby terrain barriers.
Portland
As shown on the map below, Portland Airport (PDX) is located essentially on the west side of the Columbia River Gorge.
In winter, cold air and high pressure form to the east of the Cascades, while low pressure centers approach from the west. The resulting strong pressure gradient across the Cascades creates strong low-level easterly winds in the Canyons that blow toward the airport (see model simulation below).
While winds are strong and from the east at low altitudes, winds at the top are usually westerly (from the west). This creates strong vertical wind shear (winds that change rapidly with altitude.
Strong wind shear is the primary driver of turbulence. Summer conditions are less favorable for turbulence at Portland Airport.
Denver
Denver Airport (DIA) is located northwest of the city and just east of the Front Range of the Rockies (see map).
The Rocky Mountains are home to turbulence year round.
During the summer, and especially from June to early September, thunderstorms develop over the Rocky Mountains in the late morning and early afternoon, then drift toward the airport. The thunderstorms create a lot of turbulence.
Take a look at his satellite image from midday on June 23rd…you can see cumulus clouds rising over the Front Range. Fly from Seattle and you’ll fly through these clouds and experience some significant turbulence.
If you want to avoid summer turbulence in Denver, FLY IN or OUT EARLY before thunderstorms hit. My general rule of thumb: don’t fly in or out of DIA after 11am in the summer.
There are very few such thunderstorms in winter, but there is still a lot of turbulence, this time from strong mountain waves downstream (east) of the Rocky Mountains (see diagram below). Such mountain wave turbulence is driven by strong westerly winds blowing towards the crest of the Rocky Mountains to the west, a situation that happens very often in winter!
Such mountain wave turbulence can be very violent.
Have a nice flight!
