jet stream
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A jet stream is a fast-moving river of air that flows through the upper atmosphere and helps steer weather systems around the planet. Understanding jet streams matters because their position and strength directly influence where storms, cold fronts, and heat patterns will develop, making them crucial for weather prediction.
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The polar jet stream can travel at speeds greater than 180 km/h (110 mph). Here, the fastest winds are coloured red; slower winds are blue. Clouds along a jet stream over Canada.
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents in the atmosphere. It is the physical mechanism of a teleconnection. The main terrestrial jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds, flowing west to east around the globe. The Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere each have a polar jet around their respective polar vortex at around 30,000 ft (5.7 mi; 9.1 km) above sea level and typically travelling at around 110 mph (180 km/h) although often considerably faster. Closer to the equator, somewhat higher and somewhat weaker, is a subtropical jet.