Jet stream

Uncommon card · No. 80943

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. The northern polar jet flows over the middle to northern latitudes of North America, Europe, and Asia and their intervening oceans, while the southern hemisphere polar jet mostly circles Antarctica. Jet streams may start, stop, split into two or more parts, combine into one stream, or flow in various directions including opposite to the direction of the remainder of the jet. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation...

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