---
title: "Jet Stream Definition and Characteristics | Model Diplomat"
description: "A jet stream is a fast-flowing wind band in the upper troposphere, crucial for understanding weather patterns and used by meteorologists and researchers."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/jet-stream"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- A jet stream is a narrow band of fast-flowing, geostrophic wind in the upper troposphere driven by steep horizontal temperature and pressure gradients.
- How does the jet stream influence the onset of the Indian south-west monsoon?
- What is the difference between the polar front jet and the subtropical jet?
- What causes the Tropical Easterly Jet over India?
- Why do jet streams flow from west to east in mid-latitudes?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

A jet stream is a narrow band of fast-flowing, geostrophic wind in the upper troposphere driven by steep horizontal temperature and pressure gradients.

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In June 2023, the India Meteorological Department linked the delayed onset of the south-west monsoon over Kerala to the slow northward shift of the subtropical westerly jet and the late establishment of the Tropical Easterly Jet over the peninsula.

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