How the Wind Blows

The root cause of wind is the unequal heating of the earth. We usually take it for granted that tropical areas are hot while polar areas are cold. But whether youre in Greenland or Venezuela, the sunlight is the same. Its the angle at which the suns rays hit the ground that makes the difference. Near the equator, the summer sun is at very high angles. But, in Greenland the summer sun never gets higher than about 30-40 degrees above the horizon, spreading the energy over a larger area, reducing heating of the ground and air.

Tim Vasquez

Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Wind originates from the Earth's unequal heating, driving global circulation cells (Hadley, Polar, Ferrel) which determine prevailing winds at various scales, from large synoptic weather systems to smaller mesoscale and microscale phenomena.
While large-scale wind patterns are generally predictable, smaller mesoscale and microscale winds (such as mountain winds, microbursts, dust devils, and severe gusts/turbulence) are challenging for forecast models and present the greatest aviation hazards.
Pilots must understand and account for wind effects at all scales, including adjusting takeoff/landing speeds for gusts, respecting aircraft crosswind limits, and anticipating wind shifts with altitude to ensure flight safety.

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Hopefully you’re having an enjoyable summer and you’ve gotten a chance to enjoy some fair-weather flying. Fortunately the big weather hazards are slowly dwindling and we should be getting into some great flying weather across much of the country, except perhaps for the Great Lakes area. But, no matter how clear the skies, we always seem to be dealing with the wind.

So, let’s look at wind from the perspective of an aviation meteorologist—where it comes from, what goes into forecasting it, and even some tips to help keep your flying safer.