Windshear Weather

Last month, Handling Windshear, described how to recognize, avoid and, handle an encounter with windshear. The focus of that article was the practical side of piloting but we necessarily touched on the basics of the weather behind thunderstorms, microbursts and windshear. Now its time to dig deeper into that meteorology.

Tim Vasquez

Friday, May 05, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Windshear is a dangerous vertical change in wind speed or direction that can cause unexpected airspeed loss and turbulence, particularly critical during takeoff and landing, and was responsible for several past airline crashes.
It occurs in two main forms: non-convective shear (e.g., inversions, fronts, Low-Level Jet) and convective shear (e.g., downdrafts, downbursts, microbursts from thunderstorms).
Due to its small-scale and unpredictable nature, understanding the meteorological patterns that lead to windshear is crucial for pilots to anticipate its impact.
Pilots can utilize tools like Doppler radar (VWP), weather charts, soundings, and PIREPs for detection, with patience and avoiding hazardous weather being key to safely mitigating risks.

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Last month, “Handling Windshear,” described how to recognize, avoid and, handle an encounter with windshear. The focus of that article was the practical side of piloting but we necessarily touched on the basics of the weather behind thunderstorms, microbursts and windshear. Now it’s time to dig deeper into that meteorology.

Why Care?

Windshear was a major research topic in the 1980s when it was responsible for several airline crashes, culminating with the 1985 Delta L-1011 tragedy at DFW Airport. Windshear is now covered heavily in pilot training,.