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Salt Lake City, United States
SLC (Salt Lake City, United States) sits at 40.79°N, 111.98°W, 4,227 ft elevation — with the Rocky Mountains nearby.
Major airport serving Salt Lake City, United States.
Computed from SLC's geography and climate
The 4,227 ft elevation puts SLC above most of the densest surface air, so initial climb is brisk but the airport itself sits inside any low-level turbulence patterns. Salt Lake City sits squarely under the mid-latitude-latitude jet, north of which most long-haul corridors run. Clear-air turbulence (CAT) at cruise is the most common source of bumps on departures from here, especially during December–February when the jet is at its strongest. The Rocky Mountains sit upwind of SLC on prevailing flow days, generating mountain-wave turbulence that can extend several hundred kilometres downwind at cruise level. The lee-wave risk is highest when December–February winds at FL300 cross the Rocky Mountains at near-perpendicular angles. Warm-season convection (June–August) drives the dominant turbulence pattern from SLC — afternoon thunderstorm cells are routed around but their wake turbulence and gust fronts can still affect arrivals and departures.
Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) often route around terrain; on strong-wind days, low-level turbulence in the lee of the hills is common in the first few thousand feet.
Winter (December–February) brings the strongest jet-stream activity — that's when long-haul departures most often log clear-air turbulence at cruise. Summer (June–August) is peak thunderstorm season — convective turbulence is the dominant warm-season risk. Mountain-wave activity near the Rocky Mountains peaks in the cold season when upper-level winds blow hardest across the range.
Get a real-time turbulence forecast for any scheduled flight out of Salt Lake City International Airport, with live wind, jet-stream analysis and pilot reports.
Salt Lake City International Airport is best described as a jet-stream + mountain-wave corridor. The 4,227 ft elevation puts SLC above most of the densest surface air, so initial climb is brisk but the airport itself sits inside any low-level turbulence patterns. Salt Lake City sits squarely under the mid-latitude-latitude jet, north of which most long-haul corridors run. Clear-air turbulence (CAT) at cruise is the most common source of bumps on departures from here, especially during December–February when the jet is at its strongest. The Rocky Mountains sit upwind of SLC on prevailing flow days, generating mountain-wave turbulence that can extend several hundred kilometres downwind at cruise level. The lee-wave risk is highest when December–February winds at FL300 cross the Rocky Mountains at near-perpendicular angles. Warm-season convection (June–August) drives the dominant turbulence pattern from SLC — afternoon thunderstorm cells are routed around but their wake turbulence and gust fronts can still affect arrivals and departures.
Winter (December–February) brings the strongest jet-stream activity — that's when long-haul departures most often log clear-air turbulence at cruise. Summer (June–August) is peak thunderstorm season — convective turbulence is the dominant warm-season risk. Mountain-wave activity near the Rocky Mountains peaks in the cold season when upper-level winds blow hardest across the range. Peak turbulence window: November–February (strong jet). Typically calmest: May–September.
Yes — the Rocky Mountains lie close enough to generate mountain-wave turbulence on days with strong upper-level winds. These waves can propagate hundreds of kilometres downwind, so they sometimes affect cruise even after you've left the immediate area.
We combine live NOAA Aviation Weather Center data (PIREPs, SIGMETs, AIRMETs) with physics-based Ellrod and Richardson-number calculations derived from Open-Meteo pressure-level wind and temperature data. If a source is unavailable for a waypoint we show an em dash rather than invent a number.
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