Jet Stream S. Ashby

What are Jet Streams?

Jet Streams narrow bands of strong wind in upper levels of the atmosphere. The wind blow from west to east in jet streams but the flow can shift to the north and south. They follow the boundaries between hot and cold air. These boundaries are most pronounced in winter, this makes the jet stream the strongest for both the northern and southern hemisphere winters.

Why Jet Streams?

In the past ten years, over 5,000 people have died in the U.S. because of tornadoes, tropical storms, hurricanes, floods, lightning strikes with the hot and cold air. In this same time hazardous weather has caused over $150 billion in property damage. The Jet Stream moves strong winds which move weather systems around the globe. Jet streams are located 9-16 km above the surface of the earth, just below tropopause. This can cause wind speeds up to 200mph.

Sources

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/jet.htm

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/why.htm

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/wind/what-is-the-jet-stream