polar front jet stream

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Horizontal divergence and convergence patterns associated with the polar-front jet.

Read Next

Flower. Fruit tree. Cherry. Cherry tree. Cherry blossom. Spring. Close-up of cherry blossoms in bloom.

The Perils of an Early Spring

September 11, 2005, ozone thinning over antarctica reached its maximum extent for the year.

Is the Ozone Layer Finally Healing Itself?

High-oblique view of the extra-tropical unnamed cyclone that merged with Hurricane Earl is featured in this image taken by an Expedition 24 crew member on the International Space Station (Sept. 2010).

Is the Number of Hurricanes Increasing?

Lightning over the outskirts of Oradea, Rom., during the thunderstorm of August 17, 2005.

16 Questions About Earth’s Atmsophere and Weather Answered

Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree

Can Lightning Strike the Same Place Twice?

Discover

Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company

Periods of American Literature

Jackson (Wyoming, United States). Jackson Lake (also called Jackson Hole), southern end of the Teton Range (the Grand Tetons), Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

7 Wonders of America

What’s the Difference Between Hispanic and Latino?

Andrew Jackson delivering a speech while on his way to Washington, D.C., for his inauguration in 1829. From Harper's Weekly, 1881.

5 Remarkably Close U.S. Presidential Elections

Philippine President Corazon Aquino (b. Maria Corazon Cojuangco) greets officials in airport terminal. Andrews Air Force Base, U.S., Maryland September 15, 1986. President of the Philippines 1986-1992.

6 of the First Women to Become Heads of State

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Election - Button that says Vote. Badge pin stars and stripes politics campaign

Why Are U.S. Elections Held on Tuesdays?

polar front jet stream

meteorology

Also known as: midlatitude jet stream, polar front jet

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also called:: polar front jet or midlatitude jet stream

Related Topics:: polar vortex; jet stream

See all related content

polar front jet stream, a belt of powerful upper-level winds that sits atop the polar front. The winds are strongest in the tropopause, which is the upper boundary of the troposphere, and move in a generally westerly direction in midlatitudes. The vertical wind shear which extends below the core of this jet stream is associated with horizontal temperature gradients that extend to the surface. As a consequence, this jet manifests itself as a front that marks the division between colder air over a deep layer and warmer air over a deep layer. The polar front jet can be baroclinically unstable and break up into Rossby waves.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.