flight turbulence forecast

SQ25 turbulence forecast

Singapore Airlines · New York (JFK) to Frankfurt am Main (FRA)

Next departure at its usual time · Fri 6 Nov, 20:15 New York time

This date's schedule isn't confirmed yet. This is the air SQ25 flies through if it leaves at its usual time.

Bumpiest stretchLight

Smooth most of the way, with light bumps mainly after takeoff. Barely moves your drink.

JFK20:15New York
7h 35m
FRA09:50Frankfurt am Main
Model run 6 Nov, 12:00 UTC · checked just now
JFKFRA
SmoothLightModerateSevere The line is the planned route of SQ25, coloured by its own forecast. The shading is the bumpy air and storms forecast at cruise height around the middle of the flight.
Bumpiest stretch
Light
Flight time
7h 35m
Distance
10,289 km
Cruise altitude
37,000 ft
Weather models
4 blended
Model agreement
Medium
Aircraft
Boeing 777

Bumpiness along the flight

Takeoff on the left, landing on the right. The higher the line, the bumpier the air the forecast expects at that moment.

SmoothLightModerateSevere 1h2h3h4h5h6h Take off Landing

Where, and why

The flight split into stretches: how bumpy each is forecast to be, and what causes it.

Cruise0m – 3h 16mLight

Jet-stream wind shear

Where fast air slides over slower air, usually at the edge of the jet stream, the boundary ripples like a flag. It's the most common kind of turbulence, and it's on the crew's charts before departure. When they meet it, they slow to a set turbulence speed and ride it out.

At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a band of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast shows where those edges are.

Cruise3h 16m – 6h 50mSmooth

Nothing significant forecast here.

At cruise the air is thin and cold, and most of it is calm. The bumps up here come from the jet stream, a band of fast wind whose edges stir the air, or from waves set off by mountains far below. This forecast shows where those edges are.

Descent into Frankfurt am Main6h 50m – 7h 35mLight

Jet-stream wind shear

Where fast air slides over slower air, usually at the edge of the jet stream, the boundary ripples like a flag. It's the most common kind of turbulence, and it's on the crew's charts before departure. When they meet it, they slow to a set turbulence speed and ride it out.

Coming down means flying back through the low, lively air near the ground: afternoon thermals, gusts around the airport. It is the busiest part of the flight for the crew, and the part they train for most.

Thunderstorms near the route

Between 0m and 2h 52m into the flight the forecast has a few thunderstorms, some on the planned line itself.

The ride line can stay calm with storms nearby. It follows the planned track at cruise height, above most storm tops. Pilots don't fly through storms: the weather radar in the nose shows each one, and the rule is to stay at least 20 nautical miles (about 37 km) away. Usually that means a detour of a few minutes.

The closest of these is within the 20 nm the crew has to keep, so expect a small turn around it. The line on the map is the planned route; the real track will bend around the storm.

in the app

This forecast changes. FlyBud tells you when.

A new weather model run lands every few hours. Add SQ25 in FlyBud and you get the full turbulence map along your route, a push when the forecast for your flight changes, live tracking and your flight on the lock screen.

Flight status

The latest SQ25 flight on our records, as the airline last reported it.

SQ25 · Tue 3 NovArrived · 5 min late
Departs · JFK
20:29
Scheduled 20:15 · Terminal 4
Arrives · FRA
09:55
Scheduled 09:50 · Terminal 1

Last update 2 days ago

Gate changes, delays and the baggage belt, pushed to your phone as they happen.

The aircraft

What SQ25 is flown with, and how it handles bumpy air.

Boeing 777-300

Type code
B773
Seats on this flight
264
First flew
1994
In service since
1995
Economy seating
3-4-3
Engines
2
Range
13,890 km
Cabin pressure equal to
8,000 ft

Recently flown with: Boeing 777, B777.

Bigger and heavier aircraft are moved less by the same patch of air, and every airliner is designed for much stronger turbulence than it will meet.

Boeing 777 safety record →

The airline

Singapore Airlines

Flying since
1972
Alliance
Star Alliance
Hubs
Singapore
Country
Singapore

Singapore Airlines safety record →

on your lock screen

SQ25 without unlocking your phone

Gate, delay, time to landing and the next bumpy stretch, on the lock screen from boarding to the baggage belt.

The route

New York (JFK) → Frankfurt am Main (FRA)

Distance
10,289 km
Flight time
8h
Usual departure
20:40 local
Usual arrival
10:40 local

SQ25 has also flown: FRA-SIN.

Forecast any other route →

Recent SQ25 flights

The forecast each flight carried, and how it ran.

DateAircraftForecastHow it ran
Tue 3 Nov 777 Light 5 min late
Mon 2 Nov B777 Light 22 min early
Sat 24 Oct B777 Smooth 7 min early
Fri 23 Oct B777 Moderate 85 min early
Wed 21 Oct B777 Light 67 min early
Wed 21 Oct 777 Light 33 min early
Tue 20 Oct 777 Moderate 90 min early
Tue 20 Oct 777 Light 45 min early
Mon 19 Oct 777 Moderate 84 min early
Sun 18 Oct 777 Moderate 54 min early
Sat 17 Oct 777 Moderate 62 min early
Fri 16 Oct B777 Moderate 5 min late
Sat 10 Oct 777 Moderate 57 min early
Sat 10 Oct 777 Light 32 min early

What each level feels like

Smooth
Calm air. Nothing to notice beyond the hum of the engines.
Light
Gentle ripples and the odd dip. Drinks stay put, and walking to the toilet is fine.
Moderate
Clear bumps. Drinks may slosh and the belt sign comes on. Uncomfortable, but the pilots stay in full control.
Severe
Strong jolts, and loose items can move. This is rare, and it's why the belt sign exists. Crews slow down and change altitude to get out of it.

How this forecast is made

The planned route is sampled from gate to gate at the altitude the aircraft flies, through 4 independent global weather models, and corrected with turbulence reports radioed in by pilots in the last few hours. Each new model run replaces the forecast; nothing here is a guess from the airline's history.

The weather models behind this forecast mostly agree; the bumpy patches may shift a little.

Planned route · timing and conditions may change.

the live map

Watch the air along the route move

The app draws the route of SQ25 over the moving forecast: bumpy air, storms and the winds at cruise height. Scrub through the flight hour by hour.

Why turbulence isn't dangerous

Aircraft are designed for much worse.

Airliners are tested to loads well beyond anything turbulence produces. The wings are meant to flex, so seeing them move is normal.

Crews know where it is.

Your crew has forecasts like this one, live reports from other pilots and their own weather radar, and they change altitude to stay out of bumpy air.

Keep your belt on.

Almost all turbulence injuries happen to people who are standing or not buckled in. Seated with your belt on, turbulence is uncomfortable but not dangerous.

Is turbulence dangerous? The long answer →

Questions about SQ25

Will SQ25 be bumpy?

For the flight on Fri 6 Nov: Smooth most of the way, with light bumps mainly after takeoff. Barely moves your drink. The forecast is replaced with every new weather model run, so check back closer to departure.

What plane flies SQ25?

Recently SQ25 has been flown with: Boeing 777, B777. Airlines can swap the aircraft until shortly before departure.

How long is SQ25?

About 8h gate to gate from New York to Frankfurt am Main, a distance of about 10,289 km.

What time does SQ25 leave?

SQ25 usually departs New York at 20:40 local time and arrives in Frankfurt am Main at 10:40 local time. Times change; the app tracks the live schedule.

Is turbulence dangerous on SQ25?

Turbulence is uncomfortable, not dangerous to the aircraft. Airliners are certified for loads far beyond anything turbulence produces, and crews plan around the bumpy patches with the same kind of forecast as this one. Injuries are almost always to people who were standing or unbuckled, so keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated.

How accurate is this turbulence forecast?

It is a forecast, so it is best within a day or so of departure and improves with every model run. The bumpy patches it finds are usually in the right place, but their timing can shift by a few minutes and the crew may change altitude to avoid them, so the ride you get is often smoother than the forecast.

flybud

Fly SQ25 knowing what's ahead

The turbulence forecast for your exact flight, live tracking, delay alerts and arrival weather. Built for people who'd rather know.

SQ25Light