Flight Encounter
While descending into Miami, the flight crew deviated well south of a few small cumulus clouds. They had reduced speed to turbulence penetration speed prior to encountering light chop at about FL240. The captain made a public address to flight attendants and passengers during the descent, asking that the cabin be prepared for landing early due to possible chop.
Turbulence Event
The aircraft encountered a brief pocket of moderate chop. At the time, the seatbelt sign was on, and the cabin crew was securing the cabin for landing. The purser had made the announcement for passengers to prepare for landing right after the captain's pre-landing announcement. Several minutes after the event, the number one flight attendant advised the captain that two flight attendants in the aft part of the airplane had been injured.
Weather Conditions
A convective SIGMET was valid for Florida and coastal waters at the time of the turbulence encounter. Radar images from the Miami Weather Surveillance Radar (WSR-88D) identified multiple storm cells in the area. The core intensity of these cells was strong to intense (40 to 50 dBZ). A radar image taken about the time of the turbulence encounter shows the airplane's path came about five nautical miles from the core of one cell and three nautical miles from the core of a second cell.
Aircraft Response
During the event, the airplane experienced a 2.04 g vertical acceleration load, 6 degrees of left roll, and a pitch change from -0.4 degrees to -2.1 degrees.