Global Winds

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Global Winds Severe Weather
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Coriolis Effect

• Because the Earth rotates, and consists of a
  mixture of land and sea, the Coriolis Effect
  exists
• The Coriolis Effect is the movement of particles
  (such as air) to the right in the Northern
  Hemisphere
• How about the South?
• They move to the left

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Coriolis Effect
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Global Winds

• Global wind patterns are caused by
• Coriolis Effect
• The land and sea makeup of Earth

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Remember!

• Wind gets its name
• from the
• direction it is blowing
• FROM!

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Northern Wind Patterns

• Polar Easterlies
• 90 60 latitude from the east
• Prevailing Westerlies
• 60 30 latitude from the west
• Trade winds
• 30 0 latitude from the East

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Latitude Nicknames

• Horse Latitudes
• 30 latitude
• Named because the boats stalled and the horses
  had to go!
• Doldrums / Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
• Equator
• Trade winds converge from north and south
• Named because boats also got stranded here

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Jet Streams

• Jet Streams form at latitudes where wind systems
  come together
• High speed westerly winds form high above the
  surface

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El niño

• Every 3-7 years warms currents from Australia
  heat the Pacific Ocean off the coast of
  Central/South America
• Results in warmer wetter weather along Pacific
  coast and across southern US
• Fewer hurricanes
• El nino
• Forecast

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La niña

• Opposite of El niño in the cycle resulting in
  colder Pacific waters off coast of Central/South
  America
• Dryer and colder conditions along pacific coast
• More hurricanes in Atlantic

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Tornados

• Form within a severe thunderstorm that may have
  become a supercell

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Tornado

• Doppler RADAR ID them based on inflows (hook
  echo) and wind circulations

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Tornado

• Doppler RADAR ID them based on inflows (hook
  echo) and wind circulations
• Moore Ok 5/3/99 NC

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Hurricanes

• Whirling tropical cyclones with high wind
  speeds
• Need heat and moisture to form
• Energy comes from rapid water condensation
• Generate huge waves at sea and large storm surges
  on the coast
• Pose great flood risks
• Classified as hurricane at 74 mph wind speed

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Hurricanes

• Eye of the Storm