Westerlies

05/20/25

“Why do winds between 30 and 60 degrees latitude blow from the west?”

Hot air at the tropics descends at around 30 degrees latitude, and sub-polar air moves towards the poles at around 60 degrees. This creates a pressure differential from the 30 to 60 degree latitudes. Wind will travel along this route and get pushed eastward by the Earth’s spin. This creates winds known as the Westerlies at these latitudes. The westerlies are the cause behind much of the Earth’s climate, and are important for every student of geography to know.