The jet stream. You’ve probably heard it mentioned many times in your local forecast. It is a river of fast moving air high up in the atmosphere – approximately 30,000 – 35,000 feet – that steers storms, and can have a huge influence on our local weather patterns.
The jet stream typically reaches its highest speeds during the wintertime, when temperature and pressure differences across the mid-latitudes are at their greatest. In the summer, there is also a greater amount of rising air (convection, which leads to thunderstorms) which can disrupt the jet. In the cold months, the jet stream usually maxes out around 160 knots (184 mph).
This past Monday, however, a weather balloon launched from the New York National Weather Service recorded something that it never had before in our parts: a jet-level wind speed over 200 knots – approximately 231 mph!
CONTINUE HERE.
