Don’t Let Winter Woes Affect Your Flying

Understand the seasonal shift in atmospheric weather conditions and their impact.

Monday, January 12, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

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Low visibilities are a major hazard during the winter months as airfields can rapidly drop below minimums. [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Winter dramatically increases jet stream speeds, shifts its position southward, and creates greater temperature contrasts, leading to higher energy for weather systems and increased atmospheric instability and turbulence.
Key aviation hazards in winter include severe icing (especially clear ice from warm air overrunning cold layers), reduced visibility from various types of fog, and significant impacts from systems like Atmospheric Rivers and fast-moving Alberta Clippers.
Pilots must understand different winter precipitation types (e.g., freezing rain, ice pellets) and utilize modern forecasting tools and detailed weather briefings to safely navigate complex winter conditions.

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For meteorologists, one of the big indicators that marks wintertime is the enormous increase in wind speed and atmospheric momentum in the Northern Hemisphere.

At the jet stream level, winds across the U.S. during July average about 20-40 knots, but in January these speeds rise to 60-80 knots and often much higher. This significantly increases the energy available to weather systems.