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 in the Northern Hemisphere sees significantly increased jet stream speeds and a southward shift, leading to more dynamic weather systems, greater static instability, and increased potential for severe weather and turbulence.
Key winter hazards for pilots include severe clear icing (often from warm air overrunning colder layers), various types of fog (radiation and advection), and distinct weather patterns like fast-moving Alberta Clippers.
Pilots must understand different winter precipitation types (snow, ice pellets, freezing rain) and monitor phenomena such as Atmospheric Rivers, utilizing resources like SIGMETs, AIRMETs, and graphical turbulence guidance for safe flight.

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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.