What do jet streams look like

However, jet streams are wider and not as distinct as a single line but are actually regions where the wind speed increases toward a central core of greatest strength.

One way of visualizing this is to consider a river. The river's current is generally the strongest in the center with decreasing strength as one approaches the river's bank. Therefore, it is said that jet streams are "rivers of air". However, air moving toward the poles retains its eastward momentum while the earth's rotational velocity decreases beneath it.

The result is the wind moves faster than the earth rotates so it moves from west to east relative to us at the surface. The Coriolis effect. Please Contact Us. Toggle navigation JetStream. The Jet Stream How the earth's rotation effects the west to east direction of the jet stream. Environment As the EU targets emissions cuts, this country has a coal problem. Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries. History Magazine These 3,year-old giants watched over the cemeteries of Sardinia.

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Travel A road trip in Burgundy reveals far more than fine wine. Travel My Hometown In L. Travel The last artists crafting a Thai royal treasure. Subscriber Exclusive Content. Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? How viruses shape our world. The two jet streams that directly affect our weather in the continental US are the polar jet and the subtropical jet. They are responsible for transporting the weather systems that affect us. The polar front is the boundary between the cold North Pole air and the warm equatorial air.

The polar and subtropical jets are both westerly, meaning they come from the west and blow toward the east. Both jets move north and south with the seasons as the horizontal temperature fields across the globe shift with the areas of strongest sunlight. In the winter the polar jet moves south and becomes stronger because the North Pole gets colder but the equator stays about the same temperature. This increases the temperature contrast and moves the strengthened polar front jet farther south.

As you probably have noticed, jet streams are not just straight across, but have a wavy pattern. The jets follow the contours of low and high pressure areas troughs and ridges, respectively , which move like waves in the atmosphere across the earth.

T he position of the jet stream typically ends up to the north of the UK and we see calmer, drier weather. Met Office meteorologists work in one of only two centres in the world that produce weather charts for global aviation. They detail the location, height and strength of forecast jet streams and the turbulence associated with them.

Although the position and height of the jet stream changes, it essentially moves around at a similar level to that of transatlantic aircraft. If you were to fly along the flow of the jet stream it would be quicker and save fuel. Flight planning is, therefore, quite a skill.

What is the jet stream?