Question

Due to our location in the global wind belt pattern, which direction are the prevailing winds in the US?

Answer 1

Winds are part of Earth's atmospheric circulation.The westerlies (blue) and trade winds (yellow and red)Global surface wind vector flow lines colored by wind speed from June 1, 2011 to October 31, 2011.

Prevailing winds are winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction over a particular point on the Earth's surface. The dominant winds are the trends in direction of wind with the highest speed over a particular point on the Earth's surface. A region's prevailing and dominant winds are enacted by global patterns of movement in the Earth's atmosphere.[1] In general, easterly flow occurs at low and medium latitudes globally. In the mid-latitudes, westerly winds are the rule and their strength is largely determined by the polar cyclone. In areas where winds tend to be light, the sea breeze/land breeze cycle is the most important to the prevailing wind; in areas which have variable terrain, mountain and valley breezes dominate the wind pattern. Highly elevated surfaces can induce a thermal low, which then augments the environmental wind flow.