Is it dangerous to fly through a thunderstorm?

Posted on August 24, 2026 by WeatherGuys Editor

Thunderstorms pose several hazards, whether you are on the ground or in the air, namely lightning, hail, turbulence, icing, downbursts and even tornadoes. Because of these potential hazards, planes don’t fly through thunderstorms. Instead, they fly around them.

Probability Severe storm metrics for a thunderstorm over Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)airport on 6 March 2026. ( Image credit: CIMSS Satellite Blog)

Pilots have onboard weather radar and air traffic control support to steer around thunderstorms rather than fly straight through them. In addition to pilots being trained to avoid thunderstorms, modern engineering has led to commercial aircraft designs that can withstand many of these threats.

Lightning for instance, isn’t much of a danger. On average, lightning strikes a plane once or twice a year without incident. Turbulence is a familiar part of flying for pilots and passengers. Turbulence is uncomfortable but not structurally dangerous to the aircraft. Extreme turbulence can cause injuries to passengers, particularly those not buckled in. In addition to being in the vicinity of a thunderstorm, turbulence can be caused by other atmospheric phenomena.

Icing occurs when super cooled water (liquid water that is already below the freezing point temperature), encounters an object that is below freezing. Ice that accumulates on the wings makes it more difficult to maneuver the plane.

Updrafts and downdrafts are vertical air movements that drive a thunderstorm’s circulation. Updrafts in a thunderstorm are rising currents of warm air that can reach several miles high. Downdrafts are sinking currents of cooler air that spread outward as they hit the ground. For aircraft, strong downdrafts are especially hazardous because they can reduce lift and push the plane downward, making it harder to maintain altitude. In severe cases, a downdraft can contribute to a stall if the aircraft cannot generate enough lift to remain safely airborne.

For passengers, the bigger issue associated with thunderstorm weather is usually experienced on the ground — the disruption caused by air traffic delays that are directly related to the weather.

Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on Wisconsin Public Radio at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at stevea@ssec.wisc.edu or jemarti1@wisc.edu.

Category: Severe Weather, Weather Dangers

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Why is wildfire smoke unhealthy?

Posted on August 17, 2026 by WeatherGuys Editor

The smoke from wildfires can linger in the air and often travels long distances carrying unhealthy matter.

True color image from the GOES West satellite on Aug 1, 2026, showing wildfire smoke over eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana. (Photo credit: CSPP GeoSphere)

Depending on how hot the fire is and what’s burning — trees, grasslands, or buildings — wildfire smoke can contain toxic chemical substances, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene and metals. The smoke can also change over time and become more toxic.

In addition to noxious gases, the wildfire smoke consists of tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into our lungs. The smoke is lofted upward into the general westerly wind currents, which can spread the smoke hundreds or even thousands of miles from the fire, impacting air quality in areas far removed from the blaze.

Regions downwind of wildfires often experience significant declines in air quality, leading to health alerts and increased risks for vulnerable populations. Wildfire smoke can make anyone sick, but some people are at higher risk. Smoke can be of particular concern to people with asthma and heart disease but can also cause respiratory irritation and shortness of breath to all who breath them.

The Environmental Protection Agency regulates inhalable particles, which are particles smaller than 10 micrometers. EPA monitors particulate matter, or PM, that is smaller than 2.5 microns, or PM2.5, and those smaller than 10 microns, or PM10. The U.S. Air Quality Index is EPA’s tool for communicating about outdoor air quality and health. The AQI includes concentrations of PM2.5, particles so small that they can travel deep into the lungs, leading to serious health issues.

Wildfire smoke is different from that of your campfire. Campfire smoke is mostly from a small fire pit and involves controlled burning of clean wood. Exposure lasts a few hours and quickly dissipates in open air.

Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on Wisconsin Public Radio at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at stevea@ssec. wisc.edu or jemarti1@wisc.edu.

Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather

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Has 2026 been an active tornado year?

Posted on August 10, 2026 by WeatherGuys Editor

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of Earth and the storm above. The 30-year normal (1981-2010) for Wisconsin is 23 tornadoes per year.

The average number of tornadoes that occur in Wisconsin each month, based on data from 1991 to 2020. (Image credit: Wisconsin State Climatology Office)

As of mid-July, the National Weather Service has confirmed that our state has experienced 39 documented tornadoes, which ties it with 2025 for the 6th most tornadoes in an entire year. These tornadoes were distributed over 10 different days. Twenty-seven of those tornadoes were spawned between April 13 and April 17, with 16 on April 17 alone.

Given that we are still prone to such storms, by the end of the year it is likely that 2026 will be in the top five for number of tornadoes in Wisconsin in a year. The most tornadoes in a single year occurred in 2005, when 62 tornadoes hit the state.

Tornadoes are classified based on the damage they cause, and that damages enables an estimate of the speed of its rotating winds. All tornadoes are assigned a single number from the Enhanced Fujita, or EF, Scale, according to the most intense damage caused by the storm.

The strongest tornadoes in Wisconsin so far this year were three EF-3 tornadoes with wind speeds between 136 and 165 mph. They were in Union Center (Juneau County) on April 14, in Cream (Buffalo County) on April 17, and in Ringle (Marathon County) also on April 17. These tornadoes left ground trails of 7.3 miles, 10.4 miles and 13.5 miles, respectively, with a width of 600 yards.

An EF-2 (111-135 mph) was also observed on April 14 in Lisbon (Waukesha County). The remaining 2026 tornadoes were either at EF-0 (wind speeds between 65 and 85 mph) or EF-1 strength (86-110 mph).

Though they do vary in intensity, it is important to remember that tornadoes of all strengths can be destructive and potentially life-threatening.

Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on Wisconsin Public Radio at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at stevea@ssec.wisc.edu or jemarti1@wisc.edu.

Category: History, Seasons, Severe Weather

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What is atmospheric ducting?

Posted on August 3, 2026 by WeatherGuys Editor

Atmospheric ducting is a phenomenon that affects how radio waves travel through our atmosphere.

(a) Duct formed by cool air below warm air and (b) Duct
formed by cool air trapped between two layers of warm air. (Image credit: M. Banafaa, A. H. Muqaibel: Tropospheric Ducting: A Comprehensive Review)

Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic energy that carry information as they travel by modifying certain properties of the wave, like their amplitude or frequency. In a vacuum, radio waves travel at the speed of light. In Earth’s atmosphere, radio waves travel at very nearly the speed of light.

Radio waves move through the atmosphere, and their path can be a direct line or involve bending, reflection or scattering. Radio waves are used in various communication devices such as standard broadcast radio and television, navigation, the Emergency Alert System and NOAA Weather Radio. Radio signals are an essential mode of communication during emergency situations.

Atmospheric ducting occurs because of variations in the atmosphere, particularly temperature and humidity, causing radio waves to bend back toward Earth rather than to disperse into the atmosphere This allows the communication signals to travel long distances, sometimes unintentionally. Radio waves, or other electromagnetic signals, get trapped and guided along the duct. The duct is basically a tunnel that the radio waves bounce through until they eventually exit.

An interesting example of communication signals traveling a long distance occurred at 3 a.m. July 1, 2026. An outdoor severe weather emergency alarm in northeast Indiana was set off, even though there wasn’t any severe weather occurring or forecast anywhere for hundreds of miles. The siren was activated by radio signals all the way from Iowa, 300 miles to the west. Those radio signals accidentally matched the activation code of the siren in Indiana.

In early July, the Midwest was under a heat dome, and the atmospheric temperature and humidity structure allowed the radio signals to travel beyond their normal reach.

Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on Wisconsin Public Radio at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at stevea@ssec.wisc.edu or jemarti1@wisc.edu.

Category: Meteorology, Phenomena

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Is wildfire season getting longer?

Posted on July 27, 2026 by WeatherGuys Editor

Wildfires are an important part of many ecosystems and an essential part of forest and rangeland health.

Fires require fuel to burn, heat to ignite and oxygen to burn. Wildfire season is defined as the time of year when wildfires are most likely to ignite and spread. A combination of high temperatures, low humidity, lack of precipitation days and high winds make wildfires more likely to spread and lengthen fire seasons.

Weather and climate are important in making fuel available by determining the moisture content of the vegetation. Since the weather and climate of a region play key roles in these required ingredients, fire season varies in timing and duration based on geographic location.

Wildfire season’s duration is increasing, as demonstrated by several scientifically documented trends. Studies show that fire seasons are lasting longer and that more acres are burning annually than in previous decades.

An analysis of 35 years of meteorological data by the U.S. Forest Service found that fire seasons are starting earlier in the spring and extending later into autumn. The National Interagency Fire Center has recorded the size and number of wildfires in the United States since 1983. Over the past 20 years, the amount of land area burned each year has increased as wildfires have grown larger, while the number of fires each year has remained fairly constant.

Many weather satellites can detect active wildfires from the heat signatures of the fires. Various weather satellites include observations to detect active fires. Using NASA satellites over the 21-year data span from Jan. 1, 2003, to Nov. 30, 2023, researchers found that extreme wildfires have become more frequent, more intense, and larger.

The satellites can also track the smoke produced during daylight hours. Smoke plumes are not detected at night nor in some cloudy areas. Smoke observations from satellites are useful in estimating air quality.

Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on Wisconsin Public Radio at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at stevea@ssec.wisc.edu or jemarti1@wisc.edu.

Category: Climate, Meteorology, Severe Weather

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