Wind Shear

Wind shear, sometimes referred

to wind gradient, is a difference in
wind speed and/or direction over a
relatively short distance in the
atmosphere.
 25 kt
20 kt
15 kt
10 kt
5 kt 5 kt
10 kt
15 kt
20 kt
25 kt

Wind shear conditions prevailing due to variation wind speed

and wind direction
Wind shear can be broken down into
vertical and horizontal components.
Vertical shear is the change in the (roughly)
horizontal wind velocity with height. i.e. as the
aircraft is climbing or descending.

Horizontal shear is the change in horizontal

wind velocity ( i.e. speed and/or direction – gusts
and lulls) with distance flown.

Updraught, downdraught or vertical gust

shear is the change in vertical air motion with
horizontal distance.
* Vertical wind shear can be observed
during the occurrence of
thunderstorm.

* Horizontal wind shear can be seen

across weather fronts.
 Rapidly descending column of air, known as a downburst,

that encounters the surface of the earth and expands horizontally.

 What are 'windshear' and
'turbulence'?
• Windshear refers to go below the
a change in intended flight path.
headwind or tailwind In the presence of
sustained for more significant
than a few seconds, windshear, a pilot
resulting in changes has to take
in the lift to the corrective action to
aircraft. A ensure safety.
decreased lift will
cause the aircraft to
Air streams of high wind speed emerge from mountain
gaps with
low-speed air streams lying in between
 Are 'headwind', 'tailwind' and
'crosswind'?

• Headwind is wind blowing towards the

aircraft. Because headwind increases the
lift, pilots prefer to land and take off in
headwind.
• Tailwind is wind blowing from behind the
aircraft. It reduces the lift and aircraft
generally avoid taking off or landing in
tailwind. Other than this, tailwind is preferred
by aircraft in flight because it causes the
aircraft to go faster, saving time and fuel.
• Crosswind is wind blowing from the side of
aircraft. Large changes in crosswind during
landing might cause an aircraft to deviate
from the runway centre line.
 Wind shear is commonly observed near
microbursts and downbursts.

Airplane pilots generally regard significant

windshear to be a change in airspeed of 15
knots and/or a change in azimuth of 30 degrees
or greater per thousand feet of altitude change.
Wind shear can affect aircraft airspeed during
take off and landing in disastrous ways. It is
also a key factor in severity thunderstorms. An
additional hazard is turbulence often associated
with wind shear.
 Microburst
Microburst is the most violent form of
downdraft from a thunderstorm. It is
characterized by an intense and localized
descent of cool air, causing a sudden
outflow of horizontal winds above the
ground with a typical horizontal extent of a
few kilometres.
An aircraft flying through a microburst may
first encounter an increasing headwind
and lift, then a downdraft from above the
aircraft, followed by an increasing tailwind
and sink.
A strong concentrated plunge of cold
dense air from a convective cloud. Peak
wind gusts usually last less than ten
minutes, often 3 to 5 minutes, but
extremely hazardous vertical and
horizontal shear results.
It may be “dry” or associated with
precipitation ranging from virga showers to
heavy rain showers – “wet”. A curling
outflow foot of dust or precipitation from
the surface touchdown point may be
visible near the surface.
Downdrafts associated with Microbursts
are typically only a few hundred to a few
thousand feet across.
When the downdraft reaches the ground, it
spreads out horizontally and may form one
or more horizontal vortex rings around the
downdraft.
The outflow is typically 6-12 thousand feet
across and the vortex ring may rise 2
thousand feet above the ground.
• Turbulence is caused by rapid irregular
motion of air. It brings bumps or jolts. In
severe cases, the aircraft might go
momentarily out of control.
• Wind shear and turbulence due to hills can
vary rapidly with time.
• Some aircraft may experience them while
others do not, even though the weather
conditions may remain broadly similar.
What is a ‘‘Gust Front’’ ?

Severe thunderstorms are associated with intense convection,

often resulting in violent downdraft and heavy rain. The
descending air is cool and dense, and spreads out on hitting the
ground. The leading edge of the cool air is called the gust front.
Aircraft flying across a gust front may encounter increased
headwind and lift.

What is a ‘‘microburst’’ ?

Microburst is the most violent form of downdraft from a

thunderstorm. It is characterized by an intense and localized
descent of cool air, causing a sudden outflow of horizontal winds
above the ground with a typical horizontal extent of a few
kilometres. An aircraft flying through a microburst may first
encounter an increasing headwind and lift, then a downdraft from
above the aircraft, followed by an increasing tailwind and sink. To
overcome the adverse effect of the microburst, the pilot needs to
take timely corrective action to ensure aircraft safety.
Microburst
 Symmetric Microburst
(This picture shows the Microburst coming straight down, which is a symmetric
Microburst)
Asymmetric Microburst
(See the shape compared to symmetric microburst)
Microburst can occur without rain ever
reaching the ground as in the case of
virga
bbnmvm
Life cycle of a typical Microburst