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tis the season for big weather swings and invisible river of air located far above us, where jet airplanes fly is the culprit.
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The eastern two thirds of the country has rainy weather and temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below average, while the western one third of the U.
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S.
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Continues to deal with the drought and hot temperatures and deadly fires.
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Notice how there's a stark line here dividing the conditions that divide is the jet stream or strong currents of air created when warm and cold air masses meet.
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It's located about 5 to 9 miles up in the air.
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That puts it at flight level, about 35,000 ft.
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The Earth has four jet streams, one at the North Pole, one at the South Pole and then two in the middle near the equator.
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Due to the Earth's spin, the jet streams form them move from west to east, each one traveling on average at more than 100 MPH.
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During the winter months, the polar jet streams can get up to 250 MPH.
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That wind energy can help produce monster storms like a winding river.
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They never travel on a perfectly straight line.
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Oftentimes, when will dive a little farther south, forcing you to bring out the parka and snow shovel in the winter or bump north during the summer, causing you to turn the A C on ultrahigh.
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It also helps meteorologists like myself predict where a weather system will go, since jet streams helped steer where a storm will head.
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Imagine throwing a beach ball in a river and seeing where it ends up.
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It's the same concept with storm systems and the jet stream, and since it is located at 35,000 ft, it could help you get your destination a little faster when you're flying.