Climate change is likely one of the reasons why commercial airliners flew at record speeds over the continental U.S. earlier this week — something they aren’t designed to do.
The main factor pushing planes faster is the high-altitude band of air that circles the Earth called the jet stream, which reached a new speed record of 230 miles per hour on Monday, based on barometric pressure readings over New York.
Airline pilots from major carriers said they reached speeds of 801 miles per hour, which would be faster than the speed of sound, although the planes would not break the sound barrier flying in wind at altitude.
Typically, an airliner cruises at speeds of 500 to 600 miles per hour. But with the jet stream providing higher-than-normal tail winds, the planes are whisked along on a conveyor belt of high pressure.
The flight tracking website Flight Aware reported the uptick in speed and pressure over central Pennsylvania this week.
Virgin Atlantic captain Peter James, on a flight from Los Angeles to London, tweeted that he reached 801 miles per hour on Monday at 35,000 feet. James said he had never seen this kind of tailwind “in my life as a commercial pilot.”
The jet stream has been dipping lower from north to south over the last month, which delivered extremely cold temperatures to the Midwest.
The increased speed of the jet stream has been attributed to a changing climate and the Earth’s temperature rise. A study published in the fall by the scientific journal Science Advances says greenhouse gases are disrupting the jet stream, leading to more droughts, floods and wild fires, according to Inside Climate News.
A Popular Mechanics article last year looked at the effects of a turbo-charged jet stream from climate change on airline travel. It looked at the increased resistance jets will face from flying into the high-speed winds, but not the surge in speed they may experience from a extremely fast tail wind.
Climate researchers say the global warming isn’t creating weather, but it is intensifying existing phenomena with unexpected effects.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the jet stream can increase in strength during the winter months when high and low pressure systems are at their strongest.
New climate data released by NOAA this week showed record cold temperatures in the high atmosphere this winter, which could help account for the surging speeds.
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory explains that the jet stream is at its strongest when the contrast is greatest between cold air and warm air. The lab’s researchers have conducted studies on how climate warming is causing the jet stream to shift.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the Washington Examiner erroneously said climate change is causing airliners to break the sound barrier. The planes would not break the sound barrier flying in wind at altitude. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
