Jet streams are strong, high-altitude winds that can help an aircraft go faster from west to east, but can be unpredictable ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The jet stream is a narrow current of high-altitude air, and it doesn't just affect the weather. In the same direction as the jet stream, an airplane can gain extra speed.

The jet stream is a current of strong winds high in the atmosphere. Reaching all around the globe, it’s a large-scale feature that can have big impacts on our local weather.

“The current maximum speed in the jet stream is more than 250mph and data from flightradar24 highlighted that a flight BA from Las Vegas to Heathrow hit a speed of 814mph thanks to the strong ...

In recent months, the jet stream’s patterns trapped and stalled a ridge of high pressure over northern Canada, which caused a heat wave and primed the landscape for the wildfires that later sent ...

The exact drivers of the wacky air currents are still up for debate. The jet stream naturally wanders or splits sometimes without the influence of other factors like human-caused climate change.

Jet streams typically move between 80 and 140 miles per hour, though they can reach much higher speeds where dramatic temperature differences between air masses occur.

In this case, they observed a powerful atmospheric current—like Earth's jet stream on steroids—which is disrupted by core activity.

Jet streams are often referred to as the "motor" of global weather: High-altitude wind currents steer areas of high and low pressure, playing a crucial role in shaping our weather. However, how these ...

Today, pilots often use jet streams to save fuel, joining the currents where possible when flying west to east to make better time. This is why a flight from New York to London is quicker than the ...