The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) of the National Weather Service has issued a Severe Turbulence Alert for parts of the northeast region, specifically affecting the airspace above and surrounding Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in Pennsylvania, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City, as well as the airports in the Washington DC area, such as Dulles International Airport (IAD), Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI). Numerous other airports in the region and aircraft flying in the affected airspace are also impacted by this alert. Major U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines, have a significant presence in this area.
SIGMET YANKEE 2 has been issued at least until 0558 UTC on Sunday, extending a previous alert that covered a smaller area in this region earlier today. According to the AWC, there is intermittent severe turbulence between 13,000 and 31,000 feet caused by wind shear associated with the jet stream.
Wind shear refers to a variation in wind speed and/or direction that occurs over a short distance in the atmosphere. When it comes to aviation, pilots consider wind shear to be significant if there is a horizontal change in airspeed of 30 knots (15 m/s or 34 mph) for light aircraft and 45 knots (23 m/s or 51 mph) for larger commercial airplanes flying at higher altitudes.
The Aviation Weather Center (AWC) issues a severe weather advisory called SIGMET, which stands for Significant Meteorological Information. This advisory provides crucial weather-related information regarding the safety of aircraft flying through a specific area. In addition to SIGMETs, the AWC also issues AIRMETs, which are alerts for turbulence, visibility, and icing conditions that are relatively less severe than those mentioned in a SIGMET.
