Turbulence forecast for your flight
Enter your departure and arrival airports and your flight date to see where the bumps are likely on your route, minute by minute, with takeoff and landing winds. Free, no sign-up.
Departure time is local time at the departure airport. Forecasts are available up to 15 days ahead and get sharper in the last 48 hours.
Reading the winds along your route…
How this turbulence forecast works
Most turbulence that passengers feel at cruising altitude comes from two things: wind that changes speed or direction with height (that's what makes clear-air turbulence, often near the jet stream), and storm clouds that pilots fly around. This tool looks at both, for the exact time your plane should be over each part of the route.
- Your route. We draw the great-circle path between your two airports, the shortest line on the globe that airliners roughly follow, and split it into points every 250 km or so.
- Your timing. From your local departure time and the distance, we estimate when the plane passes over each point.
- The winds aloft. For each point and hour, we read the global GFS weather model (from NOAA, refreshed every 6 hours) at about 30,000, 34,000 and 39,000 feet: wind speed, wind direction, temperature and the height of each layer.
- The bumpiness score. From those layers we compute the vertical wind shear and the Richardson number, two classic ingredients of clear-air turbulence indices, and add the storm energy (CAPE) near the route. Each point gets a level from smooth to rough patches.
- Takeoff and landing. Climb and descent happen below those altitudes, so for them we show the surface wind gusts at each airport instead.
How to read your result
| Level | What it usually feels like | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth | Nothing, or the odd wobble | Nothing to do. Enjoy the window. |
| Light bumps | Your drink ripples, the cabin sways gently | Normal flying. Keep your belt loosely fastened when seated. |
| Light to moderate | Steady chop for a few minutes | The seatbelt sign may come on. Service may pause. |
| Moderate | Firm bumps, walking is hard | Stay seated with your belt on. Uncomfortable, not dangerous. |
| Rough patches | A bumpy stretch you'll remember | Crews slow down and often ask for another altitude. Belt on. |
A colored stretch is a possibility, not a promise. Pilots get far more precise turbulence forecasts and live reports from other aircraft, and they change altitude or route to find smoother air. Very often, the bumps on a forecast simply never happen to you.
Why turbulence is a comfort issue, not a safety one
Airliners are certified to carry loads well beyond anything turbulence produces, and pilots treat bumps as a matter of passenger comfort. The one thing that matters for your safety is simple: keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated. US data from the FAA counted 30 passengers seriously injured by turbulence between 2009 and 2021, roughly two a year out of hundreds of millions of passengers, and most of them were not wearing their seatbelt.
Read more in Is turbulence dangerous? and What causes turbulence.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead can I check turbulence for my flight?
Up to 15 days ahead. Forecasts more than 3 or 4 days out show the general pattern (for example, a strong jet stream over the Atlantic), while the last 48 hours give the most reliable picture. Check again the day before and the morning of your flight.
Is this the same turbulence forecast pilots use?
No. Airlines and pilots use dedicated aviation products, such as the turbulence forecasts from world aviation forecast centers, plus live reports from other aircraft (see how pilot turbulence reports work). This tool uses public weather model data to give passengers a calm, honest idea of what to expect. If anything, your crew knows more than this map, and they use it to find smoother air.
Why does my forecast show bumps over the ocean?
Long flights over oceans often cross the jet stream, a river of fast wind high up. Its edges are where clear-air turbulence is most common. Westbound flights across the Atlantic or Pacific usually meet it head on, which is why they can be a little bumpier and longer.
Can a turbulence forecast be wrong?
Yes. Turbulence happens on small scales that no model sees exactly. A bumpy patch on the forecast may be smooth in reality, especially as pilots change altitude, and a short wobble can happen in calm-looking air. Use the forecast to know what's normal on your route, not as a guarantee.
What time zone should I enter?
The local time at your departure airport, as written on your ticket. We convert it with that airport's time zone.
Is it safe to fly when moderate turbulence is forecast?
Yes. Flights operate every day through forecast moderate turbulence. Pilots plan around it, slow the aircraft to the recommended turbulence speed when needed and switch the seatbelt sign on. Your job is just to stay buckled.
