When may hazardous wind shear be expected?

Hazardous wind shear is most likely to occur in situations where there are abrupt changes in wind speed or direction over a short distance. Areas of low-level temperature inversion can create significant wind shear because the stable air underneath can inhibit vertical movement, leading to sudden changes in wind direction and speed just above it. Frontal zones often experience sharp changes in temperature and wind direction as warm and cold air masses collide, which can also create hazardous wind shear conditions. Additionally, clear air turbulence is often found at higher altitudes alongside thunderstorms, which can contribute to wind shear.

The presence of lenticular clouds indicates stable air being forced upwards over a mountain barrier, which typically does not equate to hazardous wind shear. Similarly, stratocumulus clouds forming after a front may indicate stabilized weather after initial wind changes, rather than conditions conducive to wind shear. Clear weather with no wind would not create wind shear conditions, as there are no significant changes in wind speed or direction occurring in such an environment. Thus, the conditions described in the second choice distinctly highlight the environments where wind shear is more likely to arise.