# Winds in the upper atmosphere move at 200 miles per hour?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winds-in-the-upper-atmosphere-move-at-200-miles-per-hour/117253
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 3, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winds-in-the-upper-atmosphere-move-at-200-miles-per-hour/117253 "2002-07-03T20:55:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winds-in-the-upper-atmosphere-move-at-200-miles-per-hour/117253/1 "2002-07-03T20:55:34Z")
Winds in the earth’s upper atmosphere move at 200 miles per hour? I thought only storms generated winds of this velocity.
From [MSNBC](http://www.msnbc.com/news/768914.asp#BODY)
> [@](#):
>
> ```
> High-altitude winds powered Fossett’s Spirit of Freedom balloon along at speeds of up to 200 mph (320 kilometers per hour) over the Southern Hemisphere — spending most of his time over water and avoiding any countries that might object to his presence in their air space.
>
> ```
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### Author:  [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winds-in-the-upper-atmosphere-move-at-200-miles-per-hour/117253/2 "2002-07-03T20:58:53Z")
The Jet Stream moves about that fast too, doesn’t it?
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### Author:  [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2002, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winds-in-the-upper-atmosphere-move-at-200-miles-per-hour/117253/3 "2002-07-03T21:36:18Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by astro \*
> \*\*Winds in the earth’s upper atmosphere move at 200 miles per hour? I thought only storms generated winds of this velocity.
> From [MSNBC](http://www.msnbc.com/news/768914.asp#BODY)
> \*\*
When the B-29’s started flying from SW Pacific bases to bomb Japan in WWII, the pilots began to report that they had hung for hours off the coast of Japan without making noticeable headway. Everybody said, “Sure you did, now take two aspirin and call me in the morning, you’re obviously sick.”
Further investigation proved the aircrews right, and the jet stream winds were discovered.
The B-29 flew in excess of 230 MPH true airspeed, but jet stream winds cut their ground speed to 30-50 MPH.
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### Author:  [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winds-in-the-upper-atmosphere-move-at-200-miles-per-hour/117253/4 "2002-07-04T03:33:13Z")
Those high jetstream speeds are also responsible for some ungodly long glides by U2 spy planes. The U2 has a still-air glide ratio of 28:1. With a 200mph tailwind, that glide ratio becomes more than 70:1. If a U2 could maintain that tailwind all the way from its cruising altitude of, say, 70,000 ft, then the U2 could glide almost 1000 miles after the engines are shut down!