The Washington Post has created an interactive map visualizing how climate change may worsen turbulence on U.S. flight routes. Drawing on data from FlightRadar24 and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the map shows turbulence severity—ranging from low (cream) to high (red)—if global temperatures rise 2°C above pre-industrial levels. A gray-to-black gradient overlays the map to represent atmospheric warming, with the darkest areas indicating the most extreme changes, concentrated in the Southern U.S. One example shows that flights from Honolulu to Atlanta would face over a minute of additional turbulence as they pass through regions of intensified warming, where sharper temperature contrasts drive stronger wind shear.
Visualizing Turbulence in Relation to Climate Change
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