Airplane Turbulence In And Out Of Las Vegas Will Only Get Worse

If you've flown into Las Vegas, you know turbulence is awful - especially with the Vegas heat. It's not pleasant, but turbulence is a normal and sometimes inevitable part of flying - and it could be getting a lot worse because of climate change.

Turbulence is caused by wind shear—a variation in wind speeds and directions that occurs over a short distance in the atmosphere. When a plane hits these wind currents, it can push or pull the plane in different directions. Commercial aircraft flies above these patterns, but it can happen at many different altitudes - and there goes your drink!

Scientists have found that the vertical shear in jet streams has increased by 15 percent since observations first started in 1979.  Scientists say they have ample scientific evidence that turbulence is now increasing, because of climate change.

An invisible form called clear-air turbulence, which because of climate change, is now 15 percent stronger than in the 1970s. They expect a strengthening of the wind shear in the coming decades, perhaps doubling or tripling the amount of severe turbulence.

There have been several recent incidents involving severe turbulence:

In March, seven people were hospitalized after severe turbulence hit a Lufthansa flight from Austin, Texas, to Frankfurt, Germany. The flight, carrying 184 people including crew members, was forced to divert but eventually landed safely.

In December 2022, a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix, to Honolulu, encountered severe turbulence that injured 25 people. According to Hawaiian Airlines, the flight was carrying 278 passengers, eight flight attendants and two pilots. The turbulence was so severe that it damaged the interior of the plane.

There have also been incidents in previous years, indicating that the problem has been worsening for some time. In 2021, an American Airlines flight en route to Florida was diverted to Louisiana after turbulence hurt 10 people on board.

Flight attendants have renewed calls for "lap babies" on flights to be banned. On most commercial flights, children of two years or younger are allowed to sit on a parent's lap during a flight. However, recent incidents of extreme turbulence have Flight Attendants concerned that injuries will take place if this continues. Flight attendants say this has been a concern for decades, not just now.

One flight attendant said, "We've seen airplanes go through turbulence recently and drop 4,000 feet in a split second." "The G-forces are not something even the most loving mom or dad can guard against by holding their child. It's just physically impossible." "We've seen some children hit the ceiling."

It is not clear exactly when the situation could get worse. But it's no secret that climate change is  getting worse. University of Reading researchers estimate that human-induced climate change could make already bad turbulence up to three times as common by the years 2050 to 2080.

It's not clear if this will increase the amount of injuries seen on commercial flights. And though there have been several recent instances of severe turbulence, this doesn't mean it's already the new norm, or only connected to climate change, yet.

Till we know more, fasten your seatbelts - we're in for a bumpy ride!

-Carla Rea

It was so popular - and now everyone hates it! Could that be the case for the city of Las Vegas?

Why do people irrationally hate things that are popular? Fortnite, Bands, etc.?  It's the "popular culture backlash" phenomenon. It is a natural human tendency to reject things that are popular because of a desire to be different or to feel a sense of superiority over others. Some people may view popular culture as too mainstream or lacking any genuine artistic or cultural value. Like those people you went to college with who would say they liked every band's FIRST album, "before they sold out."

It's important to remember that everyone definitely has different tastes and preferences. Our world would be very boring if everyone had the same taste. But it's also okay to dislike something that is popular, and respect the opinions and choices of others, even if they differ from our own. Hard to believe in the world we live in now - but it's truly OKAY.

There is also the "just not as good as it used to be" phenomenon. Those things that were, in fact, very popular, but went downhill as soon as they became mainstream.

There's a thread online talking about all of those everyday things that WERE good, but went downhill as soon as they became mainstream, and popular.

Is Las Vegas one of them? Here are a several "not so cool anymore" things that made the list, in no particular order:

1.  Garage sales, yard sales, and flea markets:  Now that re-selling "vintage" things is hot, the prices for people's junk has sky-rocketed!

2.  The Food Network:  It used to be a good place to learn new recipes and techniques, but now it's filled with reality competition shows and over-the-top stuff.  The same goes for a few other cable TV channels.

3.  Youth sports:  They used to be a fun way for kids to try something new, but now they're super serious . . . time-consuming . . . and "parent-driven."

4.  Streaming services:  They're becoming more and more like the cable companies that people originally chose them over.

5.  Voice acting:  It used to be professionals who did amazing work, but now, every animated movie and audiobook has celebrity actors as the voices.

Social media comments saying: Las Vegas USED to be a cool place for adults to get away to dress up, get free booze, and maybe win a few bucks. Now, it’s nothing more than a pot-filled circus of naked dancers stepping over people passed out lying in their own pi** and vomit. Forget about an all-you-can-eat steak buffet for $5. You’re lucky if you can get a bottle of water for that.

I think we can all agree on this one. One person said, "Facebook literally went downhill the minute our parents started to use it."  Regardless of whose fault it is, Facebook and Twitter have gone from fun amongst friend,  to mostly just people just posting "news" headlines, and making evil, snarky comments.

iStock via Getty Images Plus

It used to be TV commercials that "ruined" songs.  Now, people hate the music that's over-played on social media.

Sean Gallup via Getty Images

It used to be filled with talented people's unique, handmade items.  Now, so many accounts are just re-selling items they bought at Walmart and Amazon. THAT'S NOT WHAT ETSY IS!!!

iStock via Getty Images Plus

Food trucks used to be cheap, good food. Now that they're trendy, they're charging restaurant prices, and it's just not as novel to get food truck food. But on the flip side -  as trucks have become more popular, the competition intensified, and now some of the food is on par, or even better than some restaurants.

iStock / Getty Images Plus

I just want a decent tasting burger that isn't stacked to the ceiling, and has so many ingredients that I just end up wearing half of it, as that first bite I take squishes the ingredients onto my white shirt! Now I just paid $30 to wear my food.

iStock via Getty Images Plus

Like Las Vegas, it used to be really cool! Key West used to be a small, quirky, little historic village. Now it's a cruise ship destination where they dump 6,000 T-shirt shoppers a day on the island. 

iStock via Getty Images Plus

Ride sharing services are so expensive now, that it's really not worth using unless you absolutely have to use them. We used to take them to any event, but now paying for parking is much cheaper in most areas of the country. Throw Las Vegas in this category as well - ride sharing AND parking- not cheap anymore!

iStock via Getty Images Plus

Used to be you really had to look hard to find estate sales. Driving several miles and traipsing through the mud to an old barn, or musky auction house to bid on treasures.  Now, it's all online, and everyone suddenly needs a copper tea kettle from 1975.

iStock / Getty Images Plus