Strong jet stream winds: Flights hit supersonic speed

Three flights recently hit supersonic speed traveling from the US to Europe this week, all thanks to the jet stream.

Last weekend, three passenger flights reached speeds of well over 800 mph, higher than the speed of sound which is marked at 767 mph.

A Newark to Lisbon flight hit 835 mph, while a Washington to London hit 802 mph. Usually these planes, which were operated by a Boeing 787 aircraft, travel at speeds of around 600 mph.

The planes were traveling over the speed of sound relative to the ground, but they weren't moving over 700 mph faster than the air around them. Because the planes were traveling within the jet stream’s flow, they did not break the sound barrier.

The jet stream was particularly strong in recent days, powering across the Atlantic from west to east. While this meant fast flight times traveling from the U.S. over to Europe, it would have also meant a bit of a bumpy ride back the other way.

According to the National Weather Service, wind speeds in the jet stream peaked at around 265 mph, making it one of the highest upper-level wind recordings in recent times.