Summer Hazards

Without those tools its important to get on the ground or find a route out of the activity if buildups start growing around you, because air mass storms often grow as clusters and the open spaces will quickly close in. If you dont think air mass storms are a problem, check out our August 2018 issue that details two seemingly benign air mass storms: one that downed a Piper PA-23, and another that downed a Boeing 727.

Tim Vasquez

Monday, July 01, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Summer flying presents unexpected hazards like icing at higher altitudes in moist air masses and persistent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) in coastal regions due to marine layers.
Various forms of convective weather are prevalent, including localized sea breeze thunderstorms, widespread air mass storms, Southwest monsoons, and organized Northern Plains storms (e.g., derechos, hail producers).
Pilots must be aware of increased risks from tropical storms and hurricanes, particularly from July to September, with outer bands capable of producing strong gusts and microbursts.
High density altitude is a critical summer hazard, especially in hot, high-elevation areas, significantly impacting aircraft takeoff and climb performance.

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Another summer is descending on the United States. We often think of summer as the time when we escape the grip of winter weather, strong fronts, and spring thunderstorms, but it’s easy to forget that summer brings hazards of its own. These can especially be a problem on cross-country flights that bring you into unfamiliar areas.

Icing

We don’t think of ice in July because of the weakening of large-scale weather systems and the rise of freezing levels to around 15,000 feet MSL. But bring tropical moisture into convective instability and we’re dealing with some very high liquid water content.