Ask a Climatologist: How the jet stream affects Alaska

Banded cirrus clouds run perpendicular to the jet stream—a telltale feature photographed by an astronaut aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. (Photo courtesy of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
The jet stream circles the globe from west to east affecting weather, climate and even the length of many airplane flights.
This week on Ask a Climatologist we’re answering a question from a listener who asked how the jet stream affects weather in Alaska.
Climatologist Brian Brettschneider