Which season and time of day has less turbulence?
If you can choose your flight time, knowing the air's daily and seasonal rhythm helps.
Time of day
- Morning: the ground hasn't warmed up yet, so the air at low altitude is usually calmer. Takeoffs and landings tend to be smoother.
- Afternoon: air rising from sun-warmed ground, especially in summer, can cause light chop on takeoff and landing; showery clouds also build at this time.
- Evening and night: as heating eases, the lower air calms down again.
Season
- Summer: afternoon showers and thunderclouds are more common; pilots fly around them.
- Winter: jet streams are stronger, so clear-air turbulence at cruise can be a bit more common. There may be a de-icing wait at departure.
- Spring and autumn: weather systems can be more changeable; it varies day by day.
Best of all: that day's forecast
General patterns give an idea, but what really decides is the weather on the day. SafeSkies' ticket finder sorts flights on your chosen day and route by how calm they're likely to be. Once you've picked your flight, you can see the turbulence forecast minute by minute.
