Jet Streams

atmosphere · weather · wind

Rivers of air. Jet streams are narrow currents of fast-moving air that flow around Earth high up in the atmosphere, almost like rivers in the sky. They move from west to east and can travel at speeds of around 110 miles per hour or even faster.

Two per hemisphere. Each half of Earth has its own polar jet stream located about 30,000 feet up near the North and South Poles. There's also a subtropical jet stream closer to the equator that's a bit weaker and flows at a higher altitude.

Weather shaper. Jet streams are the reason weather systems move across continents and oceans, influencing where storms, cold snaps, and warm spells travel. They help connect weather happening in one part of the world to weather in distant places.