Jet Streaks and Upward Vertical Motion

Good afternoon, everyone! We are starting a new series of videos called “Weather Education”, where we give educational videos regarding some of the commonly used meteorological terms we use to make forecasts. We detail what these terminologies mean, and how they are applied in weather forecasting. Anything from how to read a forecast sounding, how to forecast banding of precipitation, how does a low pressure form and deepen, temperature advection, frontogenesis, the differences between an extratropical and tropical cyclone, forecasting severe weather, and much more will be covered!

Today’s debut video will focus on one of the more classic topics in synoptic meteorology: jet streaks and upward vertical motion. Often times in looking for areas where lift will be enhanced for precipitation, low pressure formation, and even thunderstorms, we look to see where localized wind maximums in the jet stream — or jet streaks — are located. And from there, we look to see where a certain region is relative to these jet streaks. The above video details why jet streaks are so important, why certain regions of the jet streak favor rising or sinking air, and how these jet streaks were crucial in the formation of the Blizzard of 2016 and Hurricane Sandy.

We hope you find this video informative! We are really excited to debut this video series, and hope to continue these videos pretty often. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, as well as suggestions on other topics you guys would like covered!