The air will be still one day, and the next, powerful gusts of wind can knock down trees. What is going on here? The main cause of wind is a little surprising. The gases that make up our atmosphere do interesting things as the temperatures change. When gases warm up, the atoms and molecules move faster, spread out, and rise. When air is colder, the gases get slower and closer together.
Colder air sinks. It howls outside your window, toppling trees and stirring up storms that could snatch your hat right off of your head and send it flying through the air. What makes the wind blow? But how could the wind blowing down your street be driven by something so far away? It takes only eight minutes for sunlight to travel from the Sun to the surface of the Earth. When it gets here, it warms things up. And when air gets warm enough, it rises high into the sky. This is how hot air balloons fly: A small flame heats the air inside the balloon to lift it upwards.
The rushing air is what we call wind. As it blows, the wind spins and spirals in different directions due to an invisible force called the Coriolis force. Some experts say it can sometimes be the cheapest form of any kind of power.
Generating power from the wind leaves no dangerous waste products behind. Best of all, its supply is unlimited. How do windmills work? Windmills work because they slow down the speed of the wind. The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades causing lift, like the effect on airplane wings, causing them to turn.
The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. What are some different types of wind names? Many local wind systems have their own names. Here's a few! The scale was created by the British naval commander Sir Francis Beaufort around Beaufort number. Wind motion visible in smoke.
Smaller twigs in constant motion. Small branches begin to move. Large waves with foam crests. Large branches in motion. Sea heaps up and foam begins to streak.
Moderately high waves with breaking crests. Twigs broken from trees. High waves with dense foam. Very high waves. The sea surface is white. Trees uprooted. Considerable structural damage. Exceptionally high waves. Widespread structural damage. Sea completely white with driving spray. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads.
Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. By Tiffany Means. Tiffany Means. Since , she has worked as a freelance science writer covering natural disasters, the climate crisis, and the environment.
Learn about our editorial process. Share Twitter Pinterest Email. Planet Earth Weather Outdoors Conservation. Prevailing Winds True to their name, prevailing winds are global wind belts that blow from the same direction, over the same sections of earth, throughout the year.
Coriolis Force The Coriolis force is the tendency of air and all other free-moving objects to veer slightly to the right of its path of motion in the Northern Hemisphere.
What Are Jet Streams? View Article Sources. What Is Wind Energy? Definition and How It Works. Are Hurricanes Linked to Global Warming? What Are Geomagnetic Storms? How Do They Impact Earth? Space Weather Analysis.
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