PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Two flights to Pittsburgh are among the most turbulent routes in North America, according to Turbli.
The turbulence forecasting site used its database to rank the roughest flights around the world last year. Among the North American routes with the highest average turbulence, Charlotte-Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh-Raleigh/Durham made the top 10.
The 365-mile Charlotte course ranked second with an average turbulence of 14.582, which Turbli said is still considered light. The 327-mile Raleigh/Durham course scored 14.478 and ranked eighth. The Nashville-Raleigh/Durham course took first place with a score of 14.728.
Turbulence is given in eddy dissipation rate, or edr. Turbulence levels Between 0 and 20 are considered mild. An EDR of 80 to 100 is considered extreme.
The world’s top 10 bumpiest flights scored between 17 and 16 edr. The Santiago to Santa Cruz route topped the list, with a 1,905 km flight averaging 17.568 edr.
Turbli also ranked the most turbulent airports of 2023, but Pittsburgh did not make the list. Santiago, Natori, and Wellington took the top three spots among all airports in the world, while Portland, Denver, and Las Vegas took the top three spots on the continent.
Turbli says his sources come from forecasts produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service, which pilots use for flight planning.
