Can a flight get cancelled because of thunder storms, or would the pilots fly around or over them?
Question
We are returning from Sardinia, and it has been forecasted with heavy thunderstorms. It is about halfway on our route to Denmark. Could the flight get cancelled or would the pilots fly around or over the storms? Where do you find more information about aviation weather?
Answer
We are very sympathetic to your concern, but I don’t think you have any reason to be nervous. My best guess would be that you would experience a delay in your departure, but besides that, will have a great flight home.
Investigating the weather for your flight
Let me elaborate on our answer. During most of the seasons, depending on the weather, of course, it is quite common for the development of thunderstorms in many parts of the world. Mostly the air traffic will not be affected by this, but delays can be the result, as no one would like to pass by or go through a thunderstorm. If the cells are near the airport, it can delay and sometimes cease all operations for a time. In this case, aircraft arriving will enter a holding pattern, away from the storms. The time and fuel for waiting would depend on how much the pilots brought. If the weather does not improve for a safe approach and landing, a diversion to an alternate airport where the weather allows for a safe landing. These diversions happen as a matter of routine, and we always have them planned just in case.
It is, of course, our uttermost intention as representatives for our companies, to get our passengers to their destinations. Your pilots will study the weather about one hour before departure and use their experience to decide how to proceed, and thus bring extra fuel if needed. This fuel would be used to circumnavigate the thunderstorms, and as previously said, for holding if needed.
If there is a thunderstorm near the airport
For aircraft on the ground, if there are thunderstorms near the airport, the plane would not be allowed to take off until it’s safe. Air traffic control has very good radars, which can see the storms in real-time and thus provide pilots with very accurate information. Also, if the thunderstorm was just above the airport, it wouldn’t be safe for the ground handling staff to be outside to do their duties.
Even with thunderstorms spread across most of Europe, I doubt it would lead to a cancellation, at most it would incur a delay, especially if the departure has been planned at peak hours, much like the roads are packed in the morning and afternoon, the same applies for travelling on aircraft, although it’s a bit different.
Using websites to review the weather
There are numerous pages online where you can find aviation weather, and the more detail you would like will also require you to have a higher degree of aviation understanding. When you become a pilot, you almost have to become a weatherman too. Much of the charts and local weather for airports and routes are coded and takes a long time to learn how to decode and understand. I have taken a common link from the UK and posted it HERE.
Different countries have different official sites to be used for weather reports and in the UK it is the MET Office as an example.
If you’re interested in weather in different airports app called AeroWeather can show you the weather all over the world but keep in mind that this is not an official application to use for the weather but can give you an indication of the weather.
Flying when there are thunderstorms around
Depending on your route, which I cannot exactly predict, the planning department of the company you are flying with, would take the weather into account, and sometimes it is possible to fly around or over thunderstorms. They are as a rule, very tall when fully developed and can often reach altitudes a normal passenger jet would not be able to reach. Most companies also have very clear rules as to how close we can pass over and by these cells, as they can be quite dangerous. I promise that as professional pilots, we would never attempt to go anywhere near such a storm.
Happy landings
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