A three-dimensional large eddy simulation (LES) is conducted to investigate the breakup and atomization of a liquid jet into a cross turbulent flow for several variants of a liquid-gas momentum flux ratio by varying the liquid injection velocity and cross flow temperature. The spray-field dynamics are treated using a combined Eulerian-Lagrangian approach in which the gas phase is discretized using a density-based, finite-volume approach. A Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor (KH-RT) hybrid wave breakup model is implemented to simulate the liquid column and droplet breakup process. While the KH model is applied to the liquid column breakup (primary breakup), the RT model is implemented to the breakup of the small droplets (secondary breakup). The detail flow structures of the counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP) and vortex interaction behind the injector are observed. The spray penetration depth in the cross flow compares well with the experimental data and similar to empirical equations. The Sauter mean diameter (SMD) distribution is analyzed along the flow downstream representing somewhat different, and an analytical correlation model is proposed to pre-evaluate the SMD in the flowfield. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.