Prevailing Winds Definition
Prevailing winds consistently blow in one direction, moving air masses across Earth. For example, they transport air masses with distinct temperature and humidity, influencing weather patterns.
View Lesson on Air Masses & Weather FrontsIf you are on a school computer or network, ask your tech person to whitelist these URLs:
*.wistia.com, fast.wistia.com, fast.wistia.net, embedwistia-a.akamaihd.net
Sometimes a simple refresh solves this issue. If you need further help, contact us.
Air Masses & Weather Fronts
Fun Facts
- Prevailing winds are caused by the uneven heating of air.
- Winds are just as likely to happen on warm days as on cold days.
- Prevailing winds cause air to circulate in convection cells.
Why Do We Need To Know About Prevailing Winds
Learning about the main winds that usually blow in an area helps us understand weather patterns and the importance of predicting weather accurately. Weather experts use this knowledge to forecast weather, which is really important for flying planes, farming, and planning events. Knowing about these winds helps us get ready for big storms or extreme weather to keep people safe and avoid disasters.
Also, studying these winds helps make computer programs that predict weather better. This is important for keeping communities safe. Being able to predict weather accurately can help protect homes and even save lives. Prevailing winds play a big role in understanding weather, which is why they matter a lot for different jobs and areas of life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
- Air Mass Definition
- Binary Code Definition
- Body Fossils Definition
- Carbon Dioxide Definition
- Chromosome Definition
- Coastal Erosion Definition
- Competition Definition
- Definition Of Living Things
- Definition Of Non-living Things
- Electromagnetic Spectrum Definition
- Element Definition
- Endoskeleton Definition
- Freezing Definition
- Fresh Water Definition
- Greenhouse Gases Definition
- Group Behavior Definition
- Heating And Cooling Definition
- Humidity Definition
- Hydrosphere Definition
- Internal Structures Definition
- Kuiper Belt Definition
- Limited Resource Definition
- Magma Definition
- Material Definition
- Natural Resource Definition
- Natural Selection Definition
- Nonrenewable Resource Definition
- Opaque Definition
- Partial Eclipse Definition
- Pendulum Definition
- Pollen Definition
- Pollinator Definition
- Potential Energy Definition
- Prevailing Winds Definition
- Prey Definition
- Reflecting Surface Definition
- Smelling Definition
- Snow Definition
- Sound Wave Definition
- Sun Definition
- Surface Runoff Definition
- Tectonic Plates Definition
- Temperature Definition
- Thermometer Definition
- Water Erosion Definition
- Wavelength Definition
- Weather Front Definition
- Weather Map Definition
Select Grade
Select Subject
Skip, I will use a 3 day free trial
Enjoy your free 30 days trial
We use cookies to make your experience with this site better. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies. Click "Decline" to delete and block any non-essential cookies for this site on this specific property, device, and browser. Please read our privacy policy for more information on the cookies we use.Learn More