Why Are Planes Flying Different Directions During Recent Wind Storms?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
(KPIX 5 ) - Can you see it? Look very carefully at the blue sky and you can see a plane flying across the Bay towards Oakland International Airport. I snapped this photo this morning from our KPIX 5 Studios in San Francisco. What caught my eye, is the PLANE!
Employed here at KPIX for nearly 19 years, I never tire of the amazing views from our Studios. I can watch fog engulf the Bay Bridge, capture the winds whipping up white caps on the Bay waters and on occasion, I can spot aircrafts changing flight patterns due to weather. In today's case, the Southeast winds have caused flights to revert to a different approach pattern to our East Bay Airport.
The Port of Oakland (which owns Oakland International Airport) explains, winds in the Bay Area predominantly blow from the west to the east. With winds from the west, the "North Flow" air traffic pattern (referred to as the "West Plan") is in effect.
Today, the winds will increase out of the southeast up to 20 mph. When wind direction in the Bay Area reverses and is from the southeast, the "South Flow" air traffic pattern (referred to as the "Southeast Plan") is in effect. The FAA alters the traffic pattern to the Southeast Plan when weather conditions (such as today's winter storms) shift the wind direction.
Because arrival and departure patterns differ under the two plans, noise related to aircrafts events is experienced differently depending on which plan is in effect. Under West Plan conditions, areas to the north of the Airport experience noise related to departing aircraft, whereas areas to the south experience aircraft arrival noise. Under the Southeast Plan, the opposite effects occur.
Any questions or observations, I would love to hear from you! Please contact me at: Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com
