jet stream

noun

1. strong, generally westerly winds concentrated in a relatively narrow and shallow stream in the upper troposphere of the earth.
2. similar strong winds in the atmosphere of another planet:

   jet streams on Jupiter.

3. the exhaust of a jet or rocket engine.

jet stream

noun

1. meteorol a narrow belt of high-altitude winds (about 12 000 metres high) moving east at high speeds and having an important effect on frontogenesis
2. the jet of exhaust gases produced by a gas turbine, rocket motor, etc

jet stream

1. A narrow current of strong wind circling the Earth from west to east at altitudes of about 11 to 13 km (7 to 8 mi) above sea level. There are usually four distinct jet streams, two each in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Jet stream wind speeds average 56 km (34 mi) per hour in the summer and 120 km (74 mi) in the winter. They are caused by significant differences in the temperatures of adjacent air masses. These differences occur where cold, polar air meets warmer, equatorial air, especially in the latitudes of the westerlies.

jet stream

1. A narrow band of swiftly moving air found at very high altitudes.

Notes

Movements of the jet stream have important (but generally short-lived) effects on weather patterns.

Travel time in an airplane can be lengthened or shortened by the jet stream, depending on the direction of flight and the strength of the stream.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jet stream¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Dana weather systems are formed when an area of low pressure gets "cut off" from the main flow of the jet stream.

From BBC

The jet stream, which is responsible for driving low pressure systems and weather fronts towards us from the Atlantic, is currently strengthening but remaining to the north of the UK.

From BBC

In September, temperatures continued to be warmer than expected as the sub-tropical jet stream's more northerly position allowed a warmer southerly flow of air over Japan.

From BBC

A jet stream is a high altitude current of air that occurs when warmer air from the south meets cooler air from the north, and is responsible for much of the UK's climate.

From BBC

There is some evidence that the effects of climate change on the jet stream - a band of fast-flowing winds high up in the atmosphere - may make this 'stalling' phenomenon more common.

From BBC