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 significantly increases atmospheric energy, wind speeds (jet stream), and temperature differences, leading to greater instability and various forms of turbulence (CAT, mountain waves).
Pilots face heightened risks from severe icing (especially clear ice near fronts), widespread fog (radiation, advection), and distinct weather systems like Atmospheric Rivers and Alberta Clippers.
Understanding different winter precipitation types (snow, ice pellets, freezing rain) is crucial, as some directly indicate severe icing and challenging flying conditions.
Modern meteorological tools, such as the Graphical Turbulence Guidance (GTG), SIGMETs, and AIRMETs, are essential for pilots to monitor and prepare for these dynamic winter weather phenomena.

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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.