Why Not Look At The Jet Stream

Our weather and why not just look at the jet stream.

Well, we are enjoying some brilliant summer weather at the moment and I can't get over how long and consistent it has been. In the UK, our location as a country is such that very rarely do we get sustained weather and I am constantly looking up at the sky and looking for those ‘tell-tale’ signs that things are about to change. Warm inland weather over the weekend has been affected by strong winds which has a nice cooling effect and along the coast sea-breezes pick up quickly. We were recently out along the coast near Dover and as usual, the wind was blowing at a fair rate yesterday. In fact, when ever we go to Dover, I always look at the weather at home and then mentally note that the wind will be twice as strong when we arrive. I am usually not far out.

Over the last few years, we have noticed that the warmer weather appears to come earlier in the year with August being some what worse than expected. Despite all our hopes, it appears that once the summer weather patterns are established it follows a fairly predictable range. The main reason for this is the jet stream which is perhaps the greatest most influencing factor that impacts upon the UK’s climate.

Jet Streams are fast flow streams of air that flow in specific parts of the atmosphere. They are found near the troposphere and are westerly winds. The shape of the jet stream sometimes meanders and they are formed from the rotation of the planet and differences in temperature between neighbouring air masses. For the UK, the position of the Jet Stream determines if we are affected by the warmer weather to the south or the more wetter and cooler weather that comes down from the north. In recent times, the poorer summer weather has resulted from a substantial meander that has inconveniently passed down and around the UK. At times the jet stream is weak and spread out where as in other times it becomes concentrated.

So, if you want to see what is going to happen to the weather in the UK, you could arguably concentrate more on the Jet Stream than anything else. In this regard, there are lots of resources that show the position of the jet stream in Europe and here is one example
http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=jetstream;sess=

Using the forecast and looking ahead, it appears that the jet stream stays north of the UK for a while but there is a risk of it breaking up and then re-establishing itself further south in about a weeks time.