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winds are produced by differences of air
temperature, and hence density, between two regions of the
earth
Due to the Coriolis
effect, winds in a high pressure zone blow clockwise in the
Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern
Hemisphere. In the United States, the prevailing winds move
from West to East. Looking on a weather map, you can generally
predict the type of weather heading your way by looking towards
the west.
The column of air above a high pressure zone
is moving downwards. Because the air above the high pressure
zone is cooler higher in the atmosphere, as the air moves
downward, a lot of the clouds in the air will dissipate.
Winds blow away from a high pressure zone. If
you think of the wind like a squeezed balloon, you can imagine
that the more pressure you put on the balloon, the more air
will be pushed away from the source of the pressure. In fact,
wind speeds are calculated based on the pressure gradient
produced when air pressure lines called isobars are
drawn on a weather map. The closer the isobar lines,
the higher the wind speed.
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Interests in the Gulf of Mexico since
1998.
Source: http://WeatherWing.com
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