The role of jet streams and weather systems

The jet stream is a river of winds in the upper atmosphere that weaves around the north and south poles. "The purpose of the jet stream is to balance and distribute heat in the atmosphere. Near the equator, it's much warmer. The warm air rises. Near the North Pole, it is much colder. The cold air sinks," says Matthew Cappucci, a meteorologist at MyRadar. Cappucci breaks down the role jet streams plays in weather systems. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour