What Are the Types of Wind Direction?

Wind is moving air.

The sun heats the earth unevenly. As a result, the warm air rises and the cooler air falls. It is this process that creates wind. Once wind is formed it is given a different name based on direction, location and speed. For instance, a breeze is slow moving wind and a gale is fast moving wind.

Trade Winds

Trade winds are typically formed in the Atlantic Ocean, though they can form in the Pacific Ocean. They only blow near the equator and tend to move in a westward direction. Trade winds are considered surface winds because they usually only blow up to 5,000 feet high.

Westerlies

Even though these winds blow from west to east, westerlies gets their name because of the direction the wind is coming from. Westerlies occur in the Northern Hemisphere and are responsible for most of the weather in the United States and Canada.

Easterlies

Easterlies occur near the North and South Poles. They are caused by the cold air from the poles sinking and moving outwards. These winds move from east to west and are called easterlies because of the direction from which they were formed.

References

• TheFunTimesGuide.com: Weather: How Wind Direction, Speed, And Location Determine Wind Types & Wind Names
• Glossary of Meteorology: Trade Winds
• NASA: For Kids Only: El Nino: Making Sense of the Weather: Global Wind Patterns