What typically causes wind shear?

Wind shear is primarily caused by various atmospheric conditions, and one of the significant contributors is a temperature difference from hot to cold. When air masses with different temperatures move or interact, it can lead to varying wind speeds and directions at different altitudes, thereby creating shear. For example, when warmer, less dense air rises over cooler, denser air, it can create instability, leading to wind shear near the ground, especially during temperature inversions or frontal passages.

In addition, while rapid movements of aircraft and sudden changes in altitude can result in pilots experiencing wind shear, they are not the underlying causes of the phenomenon itself. Strong vertical currents, such as those associated with thunderstorms or localized convective activity, can also create areas of wind shear, but the fundamental cause linking temperature differences to wind movement is more universally recognized in meteorological studies. Therefore, temperature differences play a significant role in the development of wind shear in the atmosphere.