Flights from East to West Take Longer Time

An American Airlines plane in flight. (photo credit: REUTERS)
An American Airlines plane in flight. (photo credit: REUTERS)
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Flights from East to West Take Longer Time

An American Airlines plane in flight. (photo credit: REUTERS)
An American Airlines plane in flight. (photo credit: REUTERS)

In a familiar phenomenon for passengers who traveled on long-distance flights, traveling from east to west takes longer than the trip itself in the opposite direction. Why? The rotation of the earth in the opposite direction of the clock makes part of the interpretation.

Markus Wahl from the German pilots' association (Vereinigung Cockpit) says: "Generally, at higher altitudes, wind often comes from the west, which is associated with the Earth's rotation."

Air currents from the equator to the poles are affected by the rotation of the Earth. Flights to the west usually face winds in the opposite direction, while flights to the east run in the same direction as the wind. These winds are also called jet streams, according to the German news agency.

"Normally eastward flights benefit from winds, because these favorable winds are the strongest," says Wahl.

Jet streams also affect short-distance flights, although the effect is too small, and causes a minor difference. "This effect often goes unnoticed amid the regular delays, that’s why you do not feel it as a passenger," Wahl says.



Severe Storms in New York City Area Kill Two in New Jersey Floods

 A woman walks along the Hudson River, with the Jersey City skyline in the background, in New York City, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
A woman walks along the Hudson River, with the Jersey City skyline in the background, in New York City, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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Severe Storms in New York City Area Kill Two in New Jersey Floods

 A woman walks along the Hudson River, with the Jersey City skyline in the background, in New York City, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
A woman walks along the Hudson River, with the Jersey City skyline in the background, in New York City, US, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Two people were killed in New Jersey during flash flooding as severe storms lashed the New York City area on Monday night into Tuesday, submerging cars and flooding subway stations.

The intense rainfall caused widespread travel disruption across the region's airports, highways and railways.

More than 2 inches (5 cm) of rain were recorded in a single hour in Manhattan's Central Park, the second most for a 60-minute period in history, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

Videos showed flooding in several subway stations on Monday evening, including a geyser of water spewing into a station on Manhattan's West Side.

Officials said the subway system was simply overwhelmed by the amount of rainfall in such a short amount of time. The antiquated sewer system can handle around 1.75 inches (4.44 cm) of rainfall per hour, Rohit Aggarwala, the city's environmental protection commissioner, told reporters on Tuesday, compared with a rate of more than 4 inches an hour at the storm's peak.

"I probably don't recall seeing that level of rain before," Adams said.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and said two people died in Plainfield when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.

The victims were found in a submerged car, Murphy told reporters.

Murphy said that some places got 6 inches (15.25 cm) of rain in less than 2.5 hours and that it appeared some locations experienced flooding for the first time. The governor blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

"That's the new reality," he said.

In Westchester County, north of the city, authorities conducted multiple water rescues as cars were submerged and highways shut down due to flooding. In nearby Rockland County, the suburb of Nanuet recorded more than 5 inches (12.7 cm) of rain, according to the National Weather Service.