<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/0205_n_atlantic-jet.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/0205_n_atlantic-jet.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/0205_n_atlantic-jet.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > Weekend Jet Stream

At a Glance A strong jet stream over the North Atlantic has driven a powerful storm into northwestern Europe this weekend.

Strong winds could cause damage and knock out power.

The jet stream winds have also trimmed down flight times for some transatlantic flights. Damaging winds and massive waves will hit parts of northwestern Europe this weekend as a powerhouse North Atlantic jet stream drives an intense storm toward Ireland and the United Kingdom.

This system, which has been named Storm Ciara by the U.K. Met Office, arrived in Ireland and the U.K. with rain and strong winds Saturday night into Sunday. It will spread across other parts of northern and central Europe into Monday.

Storm Ciara is being driven by a jet stream with winds of more than 200 mph over the North Atlantic. The jet stream is a narrow ribbon of strong winds about 30,000 feet high in the atmosphere. It helps develop and steer weather conditions where we live on the Earth's surface and is also where most commercial jets fly (hence the term).

Wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph are possible in Ireland and the United Kingdom from Storm Ciara. Exposed locations and higher elevations will likely see wind gusts over 70 mph. Northern parts of mainland Europe will have strong winds as well, potentially including parts of northern France, Belgium, The Netherlands, northern Germany and Denmark.

These strong wind gusts have prompted an amber wind warning for much of England and Wales on Sunday, with yellow wind and rain warnings for northwestern parts of the United Kingdom

The wet and windy storm could cause tree damage, power outages and disrupt travel.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL38_1280x720.jpg" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL38_1280x720.jpg 400w, https://s.w-x.co/staticmaps/DCT_SPECIAL38_1280x720.jpg 800w" > Forecast Wind Gusts in Northwestern Europe Sunday

Huge waves will also propagate toward Ireland, southwestern England and the Bay of Biscay (western France).

Coastal flooding and erosion is possible as the pounding surf moves into areas near the coast.

Strong Jet Streams Can Sometimes Shorten Flights

During winter, jet streams sometimes have peak winds of 200-plus mph in the Northern Hemisphere due to the intensified temperature contrasts between the higher and middle latitudes. They are commonly found over the North Pacific Ocean.

Pockets of peak wind within the core of the jet stream are referred to as jet streaks.

You can see a jet streak moving across the North Atlantic Friday into Sunday in the animation below. The yellow, blue and white shadings depict forecast wind speeds of 200 mph or more.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/jet-stream-animate.gif" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/jet-stream-animate.gif 400w, https://s.w-x.co/jet-stream-animate.gif 800w" > Forecast of the jet stream Friday through Sunday as it moves from eastern North America to Ireland and the United Kingdom. The strongest winds are depicted in the yellow and light blue shadings.

Since most commercial planes fly at jet stream level, a 200-plus-mph tailwind can shave off flight time from the United States to Europe. Conversely, it can slow the ground speed of aircraft for flights battling the headwind as they fly from Europe to the United States.

Some planes had a ground speed over 800 mph as they zoomed over the North Atlantic on Saturday.

This isn't the first time that we've seen planes fly with a ground speed over 800 mph due to the jet stream.

A Virgin Atlantic flight traveling from Los Angeles to London in February 2019 briefly had a ground speed of nearly 800 mph as it flew within extreme jet stream winds over the northeastern U.S. For reference, the average ground speed of a jet airliner at cruising altitude (around 30,000 feet) ranges from 590 to 650 mph. The speed boost allowed the flight to arrive in London 48 minutes earlier than scheduled .

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.