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Aviation vocabulary · Aviation Weather

Cumulonimbus

Meaning in aviation, with examples

/ˌkjuːmjəloʊˈnɪmbəs/nounCommon term

In aviation, cumulonimbus means: A very tall, dense thunderstorm cloud that can bring lightning, hail, heavy rain, severe turbulence, icing and wind shear. Pilots avoid flying into it.

In Turkish: kümülonimbüs, oraj bulutu, CB bulutu

How it is used

Usually shortened to CB, said 'Charlie Bravo' or 'C-B'. Pilots spot CBs on the weather radar and ask ATC to deviate around them: 'request deviation 20 miles left of track due to weather'.

Example sentences

  1. There is a line of cumulonimbus clouds ahead; we will need to deviate around them.

  2. The METAR reports cumulonimbus to the south of the airport.

Common collocations

  • embedded cumulonimbus
  • isolated cumulonimbus
  • avoid cumulonimbus
  • cumulonimbus cloud
  • turbulenceIrregular, often sudden movement of the air that makes an aircraft bump, shake or drop. It is usually reported as light, moderate or severe.
  • wind shearA sudden change in wind speed or direction over a short distance, which can make an aircraft quickly lose speed and height close to the ground.
  • icingThe build-up of ice on an aircraft's wings, engines or sensors in flight. It happens in visible moisture, such as cloud or rain, at temperatures around or below freezing.
  • METARA routine weather report for an airport, issued every 30 or 60 minutes in a short code: wind, visibility, weather, cloud, temperature and pressure.

More terms: Aviation Weather

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