Jet Streams
Jets are fast moving ribbons of air high up in the atmosphere. They are responsible for transporting highs and lows. They affect precipitation and temperatures, and they mark boundaries between massive air masses.
Why do I care? Jet streams are important to the transport of highs and lows that affect our weather and lives on a daily basis.
I should already be familiar with: Fronts
A cross section of the jet stream, with the center speed being 140mph and the weakest winds being 80mph around the outside edge.
Jet streams are the major means of transport for weather systems. A jet stream is an area of strong winds ranging from 120-250 mph that can be thousands of miles long, a couple of hundred miles across and a few miles deep. Jet streams usually sit at the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere at a level called the tropopause. This means most jet streams are about 6-9 miles off the ground. Figure A is a cross section of a jet stream.
https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/JetStream
