Hate flying? Turbulence strikes Brits' fave destinations just in time for the holidays

HOLIDAYMAKERS are in for a bumpy flight as the threat of turbulence is at a high - just in time for their summer holidays.

Margi Murphy | Daily Star | 22 July 2016

Hundreds of thousands will be packing their bags and preparing to jet off for some well-deserved sun as August looms.

But they could get more than they bargained for thanks to the jet stream wreaking havoc on flight paths from the UK.

Its currents are at a "severe" level over top holiday destinations including Spain, France, Greece and Turkey.

Those travelling a little further to New York, Mexico or the Canaries could also see their coffee cups rolling around the cabin.

At its peak in winter, turbulence is usually caused by stormy weather and easily avoided by pilots checking the radar.

But a second, more dangerous variation called Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) is hard to spot.

It occurs when two air masses moving at different speeds collide.

That's why paths through the jet stream, where winds reaching speeds of 250mph meet slow moving air masses, make for bumpy journeys.

Just this week one of the worst cases of turbulence wreaked havoc on flights leaving the UK.

Modern planes are built to withstand strong turbulence but there have been several horror stories including severe injuries and death.

A flight from Chicago to Austin last week made an emergency landing because the turbulence was so severe.

"They just kept telling us to stay in our seats because we were going to have turbulence" and then it was kind of quiet, and then all of a sudden that plane dropped and tipped," passenger Robin Grulke told KXAN TV station.

CAT cannot be predicted until the last minute - so it is worth keeping your seatbelt on to be safe.

This summer, flights headed south east to the likes of Greece and Turkey are in the path of the jet stream.

Festival goers headed to Exit in Serbia might be in for a rough ride too.

It's also building momentum to the north-west, which could affect flights to New York, Mexico and Florida.

Top destinations for potential turbulence on August 1:

    Greek Islands
    Athens
    Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
    Canary Islands
    Tel Aviv, Israel
    Cyprus
    Budapest
    Exit festival-goers headed to Serbia
    St Lucia
    Cancun
    New York

Atmospheric scientist at Reading University Dr Paul Williams told Daily Star Online that planning your trip around turbulence is tricky due to its unpredictable nature.

He said: "There's no flight route in the world that's guaranteed to be smooth.

"Mountainous areas like the Alps can generate lots of turbulence, especially if there are strong winds blowing over them.

"Flight routes to places like Italy, Switzerland, and Greece would be affected by this.

"Flights from the UK to North America, Europe, and Asia tend to be near the jet stream, which can produce very strong turbulence.

"Flights to Australia and South America risk encountering thunderstorm turbulence as they cross the tropics into the southern hemisphere."

It can be tricky to plan your trip to avoid the bumps, however.

Patrick Smith, pilot and host of askthepilot.com, explained: "There are certain areas more vulnerable to turbulence than others - over mountain ranges, for example, and coastal areas prone to gusty winds can sometimes be turbulent at low altitudes.

"These conditions are inconsistent and hard to predict.

"It is difficult to say that a particular route or destination is categorically more turbulent than another, and any sort of long term "worst" list is near impossible to calculate.

"Weather is just too unpredictable for that."

It's about to get a lot worse too, according to Dr Williams.

Climate change is having a direct affect on storms and turbulence, according to his research.

The extra Carbon Dioxide makes for bumpier, more unpredictable weather.

One company has promised to make turbulence-free flights a reality.