Ask A Met: Why Is It Unsafe To Fly In A Winter Storm?

This week's question comes from Morning Brief reader Max, who asks, "Why is it unsafe to fly in a winter storm?"

Meteorologist Jonathan Belles: There's kind of three ways that your flight can be slowed down, delayed, or canceled during winter weather.

First, the runway is not right.

The runway could be snowed over, iced over, because the planes need traction, especially to take off. We don't want to skid off the end of the runway while landing, either.

The second way: visibility.

This is less of a concern these days, but, you need to be able to see where you're flying, right? Now, planes are coming with instruments that can guide you in and can actually pull you into a runway.

But if there's blinding snowfall, there's gonna be obviously less planes touching down, than if it were a clear, sunny day.

If you can't see the plane in front of you landing, they're not gonna have a bunch of planes landing all at the same time, because they don't want to pile up at the end of the runway. That sort of thing.

The plane’s wings have to be clear of ice, so that air can flow over the wings to generate lift.

If there is ice or snow or anything else on the wings, the planes can't fly as well.

If temperatures outside get close to freezing, they're gonna de-ice your plane before you take off.

Not all airports have the same access to de-icers, though. For instance, if you get a deep freeze in Jacksonville or San Antonio or Los Angeles, they're not gonna be as well-equipped to handle ice issues when compared to an airport in Minneapolis or New York.

If Tampa International Airport only has one de-icer (that’s just theoretical, by the way) every single plane is going to have to wait to be de-iced by that one de-icer. You’ll end up with some delays there.

If you’re sitting in the airport and you’ve got a 6-hour delay because of bad winter weather, trust that it is for a good reason. All of the airlines are gonna take safety as the number one concern.

If the delay is long enough, you might consider driving, but if the runways are all covered by ice or snow, the roads in your destination are also going to be covered by snow, most likely.

I might do a little research, but, more than likely, I'm probably just going to sit there and wait for the airport to reopen.