If you have flown during the last week or so in the northern or central U.S., there’s a better than average chance you have had to sit and wait for your plane to go through the de-icing process. While this process can be a pain, it’s essential for a safe flight.

The de-icing fluid removes snow and ice from a plane before takeoff. It is necessary because airplanes’ wings are designed very specifically for flight, and if a coating of ice is covering the plane, it changes the wing’s shape, which could affect the aircraft’s lift.

The de-icing has to take place after passengers have already boarded the aircraft because there’s only a roughly 22-minute window where the de-icing solution is effective. Therefore, if there’s a holdup right before takeoff, de-icing might have to be applied a second time.

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De-icing solution is a mixture of propylene glycol and water that’s heated. The bright green or pink color shows that the solution is still effective. As the color fades, the pilot knows the effectiveness is wearing off.

De-icing a plane typically takes about 10 minutes, but can sometimes take up to 30 minutes if it is actively snowing.

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.

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.