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Vienna, Austria
VIE (Vienna, Austria) sits at 48.11°N, 16.57°E, 600 ft elevation — with the Alps nearby.
Major airport serving Vienna, Austria.
Computed from VIE's geography and climate
Vienna 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 Alps sit upwind of VIE 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 Alps at near-perpendicular angles. Warm-season convection (June–August) drives the dominant turbulence pattern from VIE — 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 Alps 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 Vienna International Airport, with live wind, jet-stream analysis and pilot reports.
Vienna International Airport is best described as a jet-stream + mountain-wave corridor. Vienna 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 Alps sit upwind of VIE 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 Alps at near-perpendicular angles. Warm-season convection (June–August) drives the dominant turbulence pattern from VIE — 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 Alps 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 Alps 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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