This segment originally appeared in today's edition of the Morning Brief newsletter. Sign up here to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

As many of you take to the skies this holiday season, turbulence might be a word you hope not to hear. Turbulence is caused by a sudden shift of air that can cause the airplane to push or pull the airplane. The air within our atmosphere is very erratic. It doesn’t move in a straight line at similar speeds. Therefore, airplanes have to navigate that, and sometimes it’s unavoidable.

While turbulence can occur during clear air, turbulence is most common while traveling through stormy conditions, over mountain ranges and anytime you are flying through winds of varying speed or direction.

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Airplanes are built to withstand extreme turbulence, even though it often makes for an uncomfortable ride. The best way to stay safe during turbulence is always make sure your seatbelt is on. Most injuries that occur during turbulence is because people aren’t buckled in.

One extreme example of turbulence occurred recently on a flight from Europe to Miami and had to make a u-turn after more than 200 people were injured. Scientists also warn that a warming planet could lead to more turbulent flights.

Hopefully your holiday flights this season will be smooth and stress-free.

J​ennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.