Several flights departing from the DC area experienced a significant speed boost over the weekend, thanks to near-record jet stream winds in the Mid-Atlantic region. On Sunday, flights traveling from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) arrived approximately 45 minutes earlier than scheduled, with impressive data revealing the impact of the strong upper-level winds.

One of the highlighted flights was Virgin Atlantic Airways flight 22, which achieved a top speed of 802 mph relative to the ground while flying over the U.S. mid-Atlantic region at an altitude of 33,350 feet. The British Airways flights also took advantage of the powerful jet stream, with flight 292 reaching a top speed of 806 mph and flight 216 hitting a top speed of 809 mph, resulting in early arrivals at London Heathrow International Airport.

The jet stream, a high-altitude wind current flowing from west to east, is produced when warm and cold air masses collide, with its strength typically peaking during winter. Commercial airlines, flying between 5-9 miles above the Earth's surface, benefit from these strong jet stream winds, reducing travel times for eastbound flights.

The Baltimore-Washington National Weather Service office reported a weather balloon recording upper-level wind speeds peaking at 265 mph on Saturday evening, marking the second-strongest wind ever detected in the DC area dating back to the mid-20th century.

While these flights reached speeds over 767 mph, they did not break the sound barrier. FOX Weather Senior Meteorologist Jordan Overton explained that the planes' airspeed, which considers the wind around them, was lower than ground speed, emphasizing that the planes were not breaking the sound barrier but rather moving with the powerful tailwind provided by the jet stream.