Fast upper-level jet stream winds get faster under climate change
Earth's upper-level jet streams influence the speed and direction of travel of weather systems and commercial aircraft. Fast upper-level jet stream winds are also linked to severe weather occurrence. Climate change is known to accelerate the average speed of the upper-level jet streams. However, little is known about how fast upper-level jet stream winds will change. Here we show fast upper-level jet stream winds get faster under climate change using daily data from climate model projections across a hierarchy of physical complexity. Fast winds also increase substantially more than the average wind. We show the fast-get-faster response follows from the moist-get-moister response under climate change. The signal is projected to emerge in both hemispheres by 2050 when considering scenario uncertainty. The results can be used to explain projected changes in commercial flight times, including record-breaking winds, clear-air turbulence, and a potential increase in severe weather occurrence under climate change.
