Wind shear can make plane rides bumpy

The major cause of the air turbulence that sometimes makes planes bounce up and down in flight is wind shear. The term wind shear refers to a change in wind speed or direction, or both, over a short distance. Such changes help create eddies, or swirls of air, that cause turbulence. Wind shear can be both vertical and horizontal and can cause anything from minor turbulence to tornadoes, depending on the scale of shear.

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