A powerful jet stream racing across the Northeast was the main ingredient that led to the rapid development of a bomb cyclone that lashed France, Ireland and the United Kingdom late Wednesday with damaging winds and heavy rain.
Wind speeds in the upper atmosphere across Maine reached more than 200 mph Tuesday, driven by a major change in temperatures in the eastern U.S. A weather balloon launched from Caribou, Maine, Monday night recorded 206-mph winds around 30,000 feet.
Pilots in the region took advantage of the steady tailwind. FOX Forecast Center found Air France Flight 79, headed from Los Angeles to Paris Tuesday morning, received a 200-mph boost in ground speed by flying into the middle of the jet stream, traveling at 768 mph relative to the ground. The flight would normally expect a ground speed of around 559 mph.
The jet stream is a narrow band of strong winds in the upper atmosphere and follows the boundary between warm and cold air, according to the National Weather Service. And because the boundary is more pronounced during winter, the jet stream is stronger during winter.
But the jet stream went from normal flight to fuel a dangerous bomb cyclone that was rapidly developing across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming what the UK Met Office named Storm Ciarán. The storm remains on track to impact northern Europe on Wednesday and Thursday.
A weather balloon launched from Caribou, Maine, Monday night recorded 206-mph winds around 30,000 feet. Fox Weather Air France Flight 79, headed from Los Angeles to Paris, received a 200-mph boost in ground speed by flying into the middle of the jet stream, traveling at 768 mph relative to the ground.Getty Images/iStockphoto By comparison, flights normally expect ground speed around 559 mph.Fox Weather
“It’s this jet stream that’s hitting North America that’s going to hit Storm Ciarán and intensify it,” said Alex Deakin of the UK Met Office in a weather briefing broadcast on X. “And especially as we go through Tuesday night and into Wednesday, the storm system crosses the jet stream , and that’s when it really stepped up.”
Ciaran strengthening was already underway Wednesday morning, with the storm’s central pressure dropping 6 millibars in 6 hours. Computer forecast models showed the storm “bombing out” from about 989 millibars early Wednesday morning to about 952 millibars early Thursday morning as it approached Ireland and the UK – within the criteria for a “bomb cyclone,” which is a pressure drop of at least -at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
With the center of the storm forecast to move across the English Channel and into southern England late Wednesday into Thursday, a High Wind Warning is in effect across the south coast of England, northern France and the west coast of Wales. Gusts are forecast to be up to 80 to 100 mph along the northern French coast, 70 to 85 mph along the English Channel and around 65 to 75 mph inland in southwest England and northern France.
Gusts are forecast to be up to 80 to 100 mph along the northern coast of France. AFP via Getty Images Wind gusts could reach 70 to 85 mph along the English Channel and 65 to 75 mph inland in southwest England and northern France. Weather Fox Ciarán will meet the criteria for a bomb cyclone when it reaches Europe.AFP via Getty Images
“The very strong north-westerly winds associated with Storm Ciarán could disrupt travel, utilities and may cause some structural damage,” the UK Met Office warned in its wind warning.
Additionally, heavy rain is forecast across southern UK, Ireland and northern France, leading to fears of flash flooding and rough waves with large seas forecast for the French coast.
Ciarán will be a slow-moving storm with impacts lasting into Thursday, followed by calming winds and rain, although unsettled conditions will remain until later this week.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
