Large bends in the jet stream tend to make weather systems last for longer periods of time.

• A. Shorten their duration
• B. Have no effect
• C. Make them dissipate faster
• D. Make them last longer

Answer: (D)

Large bends in the jet stream create pronounced troughs and ridges in the upper atmosphere. Weather systems, like mid-latitude cyclones, are guided by this steering flow. When the jet meanders strongly, a trough can trap and slow a storm, and a blocking pattern can keep it in the same region longer. That slow, reinforced evolution is what lets the system linger, bringing prolonged rain, wind, or other conditions.

If the jet were straighter with fewer bends, the steering would be more direct and storms would move eastward more quickly, reducing how long they last. The other possibilities—no effect or faster dissipation—don’t align with how a wavy jet stream interacts with weather systems, which tends to slow them and extend their duration.