This is the water vapor satellite 1.21.05. It is a very complex vortex flow/front.
The 'branch' of the system is bringing hot equatorial north. I should get you the western satellite.
Here:
UNISYS GOES West Water Vapor
http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_wv_west_loop-12.html
There is so much heat that there are two low pressure super cells in the upper troposphere. Two circulations centers are easily discerned. THAT, my friends is NOT a jet stream.
One is over Baja, very, very hot, very, very turbulent.
One south of Alaska, very volitile but of course not as well defined because the air is not as hot and the veleocity is not as high and therefore the circulation center is less well defined. No less effective.
