When winter arrives, it’s nice not to have to worry about big thunderstorms, high density altitudes, and being bounced all over the place flying the local pattern. But winter brings a few tradeoffs: a big increase in IMC, stratified precipitation, icing, high-level clear-air turbulence, all-day windstorms, and of course the short daylight hours.
The biggest flying hazards come with well-developed winter storms. These bring all the winter dangers in one convenient package. In the Northeast states, winter storms that interact with Gulf Stream waters and undergo rapid development along the coast are common enough that they’ve been given a name: the nor’easter. They’re responsible for the vast majority of the intense winter weather affecting that part of the country.
