Flying Basics - Weather Matters
We can't change the weather, but we can be prepared before flying
Weather affects what you pack, how much time to leave for your trip to the airport, whether your flight will be on time, and what your flight will be like.
This article continues the series "Flying Basics", written for first-time fliers and others who are wondering about commercial flights, even if it is not their first time flying. If you have a fear of flying, reading enough to understand what to expect may help. The series includes:
- Flying Basics - An Overview
- Flying Basics - Airport Security
- Flying Basics - Booking
- Flying Basics - Seat selection
- Flying Basics - Packing
- Flying Basics - Weather Info
- Flying Basics - Packing for Events.
The example used for Flying Basics is a domestic flight of about four hours, where there are no stopovers, no border crossings, and the flight is on a regularly scheduled route with one of the major airlines, not a discount or no-frills carrier.
Other articles in this series will look closely at special needs and some of the things which arise when your flight is not exactly like the basic example.
Why does the weather matter - what to do with weather information
Using the references in Flying Basics - Weather Info, you can find out what the current weather is and what it's predicted to be, at home and at your destination. Why does the weather matter?
The most obvious thing to do with the weather information is to dress for the current conditions at home, and pack for the conditions of the place you're travelling to.
It's funny to go to the airport in the middle of a Canadian winter and watch people get off a flight from Los Angeles or Hawaii dressed in summer clothing! Those people were smart to put their heavy coats in their checked luggage. They didn't need them during the flight, but they always need them before they step outside.
Often we have a hard time understanding what the weather numbers really mean.
One way to make sense of them is to look at the forecast, or at the historic weather conditions for the place you are going, at the time you will be there. Let's say the daytime high was about 85 degrees Fahrenheit most days. Think of when it's 85 degrees where you live. January? July? That gives you a pretty good idea.
It may seem overly simplistic to take this approach, but even experienced travellers tend to overpack when they travel from a cold place to a warm one, and vice versa. Your saving fact is that every place you visit will be selling clothes appropriate for the weather at that place and time.
Weather and flight delays
No industry relies on the moment-to-moment weather conditions as much as airline travel does.
Planes cannot take off if there is ice on their wings; they may not be able to land in heavy fog, and when there is severe weather (blizzard, hurricane, etc.), air traffic is usually grounded.
If you check the 24-hour forecast for the airport location, you can get a pretty good idea of whether your flight will be delayed by weather. Of course, you still have to get to the airport on time. But if it seems like bad weather is coming in, you can be prepared with a little extra food in your carry-on luggage, something to read, a fully-charged cell phone, whatever extras will keep you comfortable if you have to spend an extra couple of hours waiting for your flight.
If you are travelling to the airport from out of town, keep in mind that bad weather affects highways too. Sometimes it makes sense to spend the night at a hotel near the airport, especially if you are taking an early morning flight.
Weather and your in-flight experience
Airline pilots often come on the loudspeaker to tell the passengers what the weather is like on the flight path. That is because they think everyone is as interested in the weather as they are!
As a passenger, you want to hear the pilot say, "We expect a smooth and pleasant flight", and usually that is the case. But some times, they say, "We're expecting a few bumps along the way due to clear air turbulence".
Turbulence is invisible, but you can imagine it as waves in the air, just like there are waves in the sea. When a plane flies through turbulence, it bumps around. This happens often, usually just for a short time, depending on the route you are flying. It is nothing to worry about; it's like bumps on the road.
Most of us don't look at the aviation weather forecasts, so we don't know in advance what the turbulence situation will be. There is no point in trying to find out - you are already scheduled for your flight, and a little turbulence is not going to change your plans. The airlines are very safety conscious and will not fly if the weather is unsuitable.
The wind speed and direction make a difference. A headwind pushes into the nose of the airplane and slows you down; a tailwind pushes the plane in the direction it's going and speeds you up. In North America, very generally speaking, the prevailing wind is blowing from west to east, so often you will arrive a little early when flying to the east, and a little late when going west. This is not a hard and fast rule, though.
A crosswind blows across the path of the airplane. If you understand vectors you can figure out how much of the force of the crosswind is either a headwind or a tailwind - but that is an activity for...
People who love learning about the weather
Weather is fun to study! Climatology is typically part of the curriculum for a degree in Physical Geography, or Oceanography, to name two popular areas. Physics is the basic science upon which the study of weather is based. Aviation and shipping are just two industries that rely upon an up-to-date understanding of weather.
Next to come in the Flying Basics series: more on Packing.
