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I was wondering How wide is the Jet stream? I see the weather maps of the jet stream and I understand the high winds. But when the jet stream is over Yellowstone, What is the wind speeds like over Salt Lake City? Thanks John M.
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Recently we talked about the speeds of the jet and the basics, you can find that on the link on the right.
The Jet Stream is a fast moving river of air high above the earth's surface from about 20,000 to 40,000 feet above the ground. As far as width goes, there's no predetermined width. You can check out the areas of high winds aloft by either looking at the vertical profile of some weather balloons or using an upper level contour map.
The width of the jet can vary depending on surrounding conditions. If you had to stick a ball park figure you could say a few hundred miles.
If the jet was hanging out over Yellowstone it depends. Within the jet stream there are narrower core areas called jet maxes. In those maximums, the speed is greater in the center and decreases as you head out. So upper level winds if the max was over Yellowstone, here in SLC it would likely be lower. But if the jet is just being its regular self over Yellowstone but centered over it and was a few hundred miles wide, upper wind speeds in N. Utah may be very similar.
To find out what the upper level winds are you can use charts we listed above and there are some links on the right.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman.
