Weather Tidbits: Why Wind Blows

This Weather Tidbits explains how the wind blows. The wind is moving air caused by a difference of air pressure in the atmosphere. The wind blows from high pressure to low pressure. The winds curve due to the Coriolis force. This is a special force caused by the earth’s rotation; and in the northern hemisphere it deflects weather systems to the right. The Coriolis force also makes low pressure spin counterclockwise, while high pressure spins clockwise; with the opposite effect of all these 3 things occurring in the southern hemisphere. Also, the closer the high and low pressure systems are to each other; the stronger the winds are because of the tight pressure gradient (or difference).