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Help with an assignment about Jet Streams


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Good afternoon,

 

I am hoping that someone can assist me with understand an assignment that I was given. I am supposed to find a map of the jet stream on any website (the example given was www.accuweather.com/en/us/national/weathersurface-maps) Using the current jet stream information I am supposed to determine where the coldest air is located and why. I attempted to do this yesterday on the site provided but I don't believe that I am understanding the concept very well.

 

I will not post the whole answer I came up with here, but in very basic terms I said the coldest air would be to the west, specifically Idaho, Wyoming, and parts of Colorado because this is the pocket of the deepest "dip" in the stream. I really have no clue if this is even remotely correct and even after reading the assignment and my text book several times I think I am missing something.

 

Can anyone please provide a better understanding of this concept? Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

P. Beck

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The link you posted is broken so I don't know what you are looking at for sure. Likely if they wanted you to look at the jet stream you would have been given a 300mb map, but in reality several other maps would work too.

 

Now as far as telling where its coldest I suppose that is a very relative question but lets start with this. What variable are they having you use to analyze the jet stream and by coldest do they mean coldest at that altitude or the surface?

Winter 23-24: Total Snow (3.2")    Total Ice (0.2")     Coldest Low: 1F     Coldest High: 5F

Snow Events: 0.1" Jan 5th, 0.2" Jan 9th, 1.6" Jan 14, 0.2" (ice) Jan 22, 1.3" Feb 12

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I'll just finish my thought even though you haven't clarified what you want. An example would be if you were looking at 300mb heights the lower the height the colder the air. So on the poleward side of the jet the heights would be lower and the air would be colder. Just keep in mind that doesn't necessarily translate down to the surface as the upper trough and the surface trough are usually not vertically stacked.

Winter 23-24: Total Snow (3.2")    Total Ice (0.2")     Coldest Low: 1F     Coldest High: 5F

Snow Events: 0.1" Jan 5th, 0.2" Jan 9th, 1.6" Jan 14, 0.2" (ice) Jan 22, 1.3" Feb 12

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Check these graphics.
 
.. Showing the main upper air level's, changes elemental.
 
http://weather.unisys.com/upper air/ua hem.php?plot=n3&inv=0&t=cur
http://weather.unisys.com/upper air/ua hem.php?plot=n5&inv=0&t=cur
http://weather.unisys.com/upper air/ua hem.php?plot=n8&inv=0&t=cur
 
Starting at the lower level represented above here, the 850 mb (Millibar) level, this graphic works to show actual temperature registering at it. ..
 
This with then where moving upward to the 500 mb level, only the pressure more specific, only more indicative of where cold is, where looking at the main color contours employed. ..
 
And then finally, and still higher at the 300 mb level, the pressure spread at this level (more general.). With an important and useful inclusion. The identification of different main "Jet Maxes". 
 
http://www.atmos.albany.edu/facstaff/landin/f211/Ch3-Maps.html
 
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/prs/hght.rxml
 
"google" for:  "Jet Max".

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