Subscribe to Simon Calder’s complimentary travel newsletter for professional tips and cost-saving deals.
Receive Simon Calder’s Travel newsletter.
Strong winds in the mid-Atlantic area caused commercial planes traveling east to reach supersonic speeds this past weekend, possibly breaking records.
According to the US National Weather Service, a Virgin Atlantic flight from Washington to London reached a speed of almost 1300kph (800mph), exceeding the speed of sound.
The official X account of the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington reported that the weather balloon launch tonight revealed the second highest upper-level wind ever recorded in the local area since the mid 20th century.
At an altitude of approximately 34,000-35,000 feet, the winds reached a maximum speed of 230 knots (265mph!). According to the weather service, those traveling in an eastward direction on this aircraft will experience a strong tailwind.
Two additional aircraft, one of which departed from Newark Airport in New Jersey bound for Lisbon, Portugal, achieved speeds of 835mph.
Although the planes achieved speeds greater than that of sound, they were unable to exceed the sound barrier due to their speed not being faster than the speed of sound in relation to the surrounding air in the jet stream.
The Atlantic jet stream is a rapid and slender airflow that moves from west to east, forming a loop around the earth. This natural phenomenon is commonly utilized by airplanes flying from North America towards the east to reduce their flight duration and conserve fuel.
Typically, it experiences winds reaching velocities of approximately 110mph (177kph), but there are instances when it becomes even more forceful, particularly in the winter season.
The high speeds of the jetstream have typically been beneficial for flights heading towards Europe, allowing them to reach their destinations quicker. However, they have posed challenges for planes flying west to the US, resulting in turbulence, longer travel times, and greater fuel usage.
The melting ice in Greenland may worsen the effects of global warming.
As of now, there have been no reports of passengers experiencing any difficulties on flights heading east.
Meteorologist Lisa Green shared on X that there was a 265mph jet stream wind over certain areas of the east coast last night. This would be beneficial for flights if they were traveling in the same direction, but could cause difficulties for flights going against it.
New studies indicate that climate change is causing disturbances in the movement of air currents within this specific section of the atmosphere.
According to experts cited by The Washington Post, the unusually high wind speeds were a result of extremely low temperatures in the Northeast and significantly warmer air in the southern region.
Climate change may have caused an increase in wind speeds.
Referring to a recent research, weather expert Jeff Beradelli stated that with a rise of 1°C in air temperatures, the jetstream’s velocity could potentially increase by 2 per cent, and the speed of the fastest winds could increase by 2.5 times.
“We are currently experiencing a temperature of +2°C, resulting in a 10% increase. This means that roughly 240mph will now be 275mph,” he shared on X. He also noted that this level of intense jetstream is not typically seen without the presence of El Niño.
Source: independent.co.uk
