Scribd
Upload
88 views1 page

Jet Streams and Weather Influence

The document discusses jet streams and global weather patterns. It explains that jet streams are fast moving rivers of air around 30,000 feet above the ground that influence weather systems and patterns. Jet streams circle the globe from west to east and are caused by temperature differences between the poles and equator. Global weather patterns like ridges and troughs in the jet stream influence longer term trends, bringing warmer or colder temperatures over several days. Weather occurs in the short term, while climate describes longer term conditions.

Uploaded by

Hartford Courant
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
88 views1 page

Jet Streams and Weather Influence

The document discusses jet streams and global weather patterns. It explains that jet streams are fast moving rivers of air around 30,000 feet above the ground that influence weather systems and patterns. Jet streams circle the globe from west to east and are caused by temperature differences between the poles and equator. Global weather patterns like ridges and troughs in the jet stream influence longer term trends, bringing warmer or colder temperatures over several days. Weather occurs in the short term, while climate describes longer term conditions.

Uploaded by

Hartford Courant
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Meteorology and You

Common Core State Standard: ELA: Reading Informational Text (3.1-10 through 8.1-10)

JET STREAMS AND GLOBAL WEATHER PATTERNS


Jet Streams
Did you know that above your head, there’s a river of air moving at around 100 mph?
It’s called the Jet Stream, and it’s the driver behind much of the weather that you
experience every day. It usually is about 30,000 feet above ground, which is around the
same altitude that jets fly, hence the name jet stream. In fact, an airplane that is
travelling with the jet stream will arrive at its destination much faster than one
travelling against the flow of air.

Airplanes aren’t the only things feeling the boost of the jet stream. Weather systems
like low and high pressure will “ride” along that current of air. Meteorologists use the
jet stream to figure out where a particular storm will travel in the future. There are two
main jet streams, a Polar jet and a Subtropical jet. Both of the ribbons of air circle their
way around the globe.

This strong river of air is caused by the large change in temperature between the Earth’s poles and its equator. The rotation of the Earth also causes
these streams to flow from west to east all across the planet.

Global Weather Patterns


Have you ever heard of a heat wave? Or do you remember a time where the weather was very
similar for 4 or 5 days in a row? These events were likely caused by our global weather patterns. A
trough is an example of a global weather pattern that will typically bring us colder than normal
temperatures. Think of a trough as a dip in the jet stream to the south. In this case, the jet stream
will take a U shape, with a cold air mass to the north and a warmer air mass to the south.

On the opposite side is a ridge, which will usually bring us warmer than average temperatures. A
ridge has the shape of a dome, with the warm air persisting for days at a time. These fluctuations in
the jet stream occur all the time, which is why our weather is constantly changing.

One final thing to remember: Weather is what’s happening in the short term, while climate is what
happens over the long term. If weather is your mood, climate is your personality.

Did You Know Lightning Quick

The global weather pattern typically lags behind the


Activity
Hold a rope or a string on one end, and have a friend hold
amount of energy the sun is giving us. For example, another side. Move your hand up and down to make bumps in
the strongest sun angle we have all year is around the rope, and see how it reacts. That’s the way the jet stream
June 21st (The summer solstice), but the warmest works, with constant bumps and dips. You’re watching ridges and
average temperatures don’t occur until mid-July. On troughs form!
the flip side, our shortest day of the year occurs in
mid-December, but our coldest weather is usually
in late January. This is mainly because of the ocean,
which is the driver behind much of our weather.
Water retains heat better than air, so it takes longer
to heat up and slower to cool down.

You might also like