Scorching heat and Canada wildfires could be tied to ‘wavy, blocky’ jet stream

Some researchers think climate change is disrupting the jet stream’s flow and causing it to bake regions in heat longer.

Scientists say a closely watched atmospheric pattern — the jet stream — is behind both the Canadian wildfires and the scorching heat in Texas, raising questions about how it shapes extreme weather events and whether climate change is disrupting its flow.

The jet stream, a ribbon of air that encircles the Northern Hemisphere at high altitudes, drives pressure changes that determine weather across North America. The jet stream’s wavy pattern creates areas of high and low pressure.

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