clear-air turbulence

noun

: sudden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that causes violent jarring or buffeting of aircraft

Examples of clear-air turbulence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Baumgardner added that clear-air turbulence is still rare. Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 20 Apr. 2023 But just because a plane can survive a fierce run-in with clear-air turbulence, doesn’t mean airlines want to make flying through it a habit. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 5 Sep. 2023 Yes, at least with clear-air turbulence, some scientists say. Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY, 18 July 2023 Over the past four decades clear-air turbulence has increased by up to 55 percent in various regions around the world. Katherine Wright, Scientific American, 1 July 2023 Although remote weather radar can’t spot clear-air turbulence, that hasn’t stopped engineers from trying to design a solution. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 5 Sep. 2023 Williams says that today an eight-hour flight might contain 10 to 15 minutes of clear-air turbulence, but projections indicate that the extent of this turbulence will double or triple over the next few decades as warming from climate change increases wind shears in the jet stream. Katherine Wright, Scientific American, 1 July 2023 How clear-air turbulence occurs Pockets created by jet streams traveling at different speeds and directions cause clear-air turbulence. Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY, 18 July 2023 The bill would require several federal agencies, including the FAA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to put their heads together and improve how to track and record clear-air turbulence through instrumentation and pilot reports as well as how to better forecast it. Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 15 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clear-air turbulence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clear-air turbulence was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near clear-air turbulence

Cite this Entry

“Clear-air turbulence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clear-air%20turbulence. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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