First off, what is a jet stream? A jet stream is a fast flowing river of air in the upper atmosphere that steers our storms. Within the jet stream, there are pockets of air that are moving fast. The faster moving pockets are called jet streaks. We usually look at the 250 mb level to detect where the jet stream and its associated jet streaks are located.
Next, how does the jet streak influence storm strength? When a strong jet streak is positioning itself correctly over a surface low pressure, upward vertical motion is enhanced. The enhanced motion can lead to explosive storminess. Many times, a relatively innocuous storms explodes into a monster that means business when the strong jet streak comes to town.
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