5 Most Common Wind Types in North America

There are many types of wind, beleive it or not because of the earths rotation.
- One type of wind in Canada is Barber. The wind is actually called 'Barber' because it, oddly enough, freezes everything it touches including hair. This is a very cold and moist storm.
- One other common wind is in Southwest US. It is called 'Haboob' it occurs from May to September. It is a dust storm that travels up to 50 miles per hour and can reach up to 3000 feet high. These storms can last up to three hours and are caused by thunderstorms.
- In hawaii there is a very strong wind called Pali. It runs through Pali Pass and above Honolulu.
- The next wind type is Bayamo which is in Cuba. It blows over the Bight of Bayamo and is extremely violent.
- The Chocolatero wind blows in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a warm wind and is name after the wind it carries.
These five types are in different regions of North America.


Important Winds

1) Global Winds: This is wind that blows over the surface of the ocean and pushes the water. These winds cover large areas of the Globe at a time. Circulations cells are an example of global winds. There are three cells in the southern and northern hemispheres: polar, ferrel, and Hadley.
2) Local Winds: These winds cover small regions. There are four types: thermal circulations, monsoons, mountain and valley breezes, and Chinook wind.
3) There are three types of directional global winds:
a) Trade winds – winds meet at the equator forming the intertropical convergence zone.
b) Westerlies – Dominantly westerly winds that blow on the pole ward side.
c) Polar Easterlies – These are shallow winds from the northeast that are located at low pressure regions of the polar cell.
4) Jet Streams – this is a fast flowing air in the upper atmosphere. Winds are moving at 200 to 250 mph. It effects us in the winter if winds are stronger it dips farther south. If it is north of you, you have warmer temperatures. If it is south of you, you have colder temperatures.




Details from: http://mediatheek.thinkquest.nl/~ll118/en/development/types.list.html