Some planes are going over 800 mph over mid-Atlantic because of high winds

Flights from the Washington D.C. area heading to London not only went over 800 mph but also arrived at the airport early over the weekend.

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The reason, jet-stream winds over the mid-Atlantic, according to WTTG. The winds were reportedly detected by a weather balloon, according to The Washington Post. The weather balloon was from the National Weather Service office located in Sterling, Virginia. It usually releases weather balloons about every 12 hours.

Winds over D.C. were about 265 mph over about 35,000 feet above the ground, the newspaper reported. These winds gave planes the ability to speed over 800 mph.

The wind speeds were the second-highest winds measured since the start of the 1950s, the National Weather Service said, according to the Post.

“For those flying eastbound in this jet [stream], there will be quite a tailwind,” the National Weather Service said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Depending on what direction you’re going, having a great tail wind is nice,” Shem Malmquist, a professor of aeronautics at Florida Tech University and a Boeing 777 captain told CBS News. However, he also said that there are some downsides to having a faster jet stream like slow travel and harsher flights.

Virgin Atlantic Flight 22 that left from Washington Dulles International Airport at 10:45 p.m. Saturday landed in London less than an hour before it was scheduled to, FlightAware said, according to CBS News. During the flight, less than an hour in, FlightAware said the plane was at the 33,350-foot altitude and was at 802 mph.

United Airlines Flight 64 from Newark to Lisbon was going about 838 mph and arrived about 20 minutes early, FlightAware said, according to CBS News.

American Airlines Flight 120 from Philadelphia to Doha, Qatar was going about 840 mph, according to the Post. That is one of the highest speeds on record.

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