Severe turbulence on airplanes has been a growing concern, with incidents becoming more frequent. The cause behind these terrifying experiences is often linked to severe thunderstorms, where wind speeds exceed 50 knots or 60 miles per hour. This phenomenon is driven by wind shear, where air rises and falls rapidly within a thunderstorm.
During a thunderstorm, rising air is a result of cold air pushing warm air upwards. The increased warmth in the atmosphere, attributed to climate change, intensifies these weather patterns. The scale of the disturbance is significant, with aircraft encountering columns of rising air that can lead to sudden and drastic changes in altitude.
