Westerlies

{
  "id": "MLC-T-MET-003065",
  "term": "Westerlies",
  "field": "Meteorology and atmospheric science",
  "definitions": [
    "Prevailing winds that blow from the west in the middle latitudes, between approximately 30 and 60 degrees latitude in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These winds are a result of the Coriolis effect acting on air moving from the high-pressure subtropical ridge towards the low-pressure subpolar regions. They are responsible for much of the weather movement across continents in these zones.",
    "The prevailing winds that blow from the west in the mid-latitudes."
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    "circumpolar westerlies",
    "circumpolar whirl",
    "countertrades",
    "middle-latitude westerlies",
    "polar westerlies",
    "subpolar westerlies",
    "subtropical westerlies",
    "temperate westerlies",
    "zonal westerlies",
    "westerly belt",
    "zonal winds"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Polar vortex",
    "antitrades",
    "tropical easterlies",
    "zonal index",
    "equatorial westerlies"
  ],
  "references": [
    "NWS Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/meteorology/westerlies/"
}