prevailing westerly
Noun: - The prevailing westerlies: A consistent pattern of winds that blow from the west towards the east, primarily found in the middle latitudes (between approximately 30° and 60°) in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These are a major component of the Earth's atmospheric circulation.
This term is used in meteorological and geographical contexts to describe a specific, dominant global wind belt. - The prevailing westerly brings moist air from the ocean to the continent's west coast. - Sailors historically relied on the prevailing westerlies for transoceanic travel.
- As a defining climatic factor: The term is often used to explain regional weather patterns, precipitation distribution, and climate types.
- The temperate rainforest exists here due to the constant, moisture-laden prevailing westerly.
- Westerlies (noun): A more general term for winds blowing from the west. "Prevailing westerly" specifies the dominant and most consistent of these winds in the mid-latitudes.
- Prevailing wind (noun): The wind direction most commonly observed at a given location. The "prevailing westerly" is the prevailing wind in many temperate zones.
This term has a single, specific meaning in earth science. It does not have common alternative definitions.
- Mid-latitude westerlies
- Westerly winds (in a general sense)
There are no common idioms using the specific phrase "prevailing westerly."
There are no phrasal verbs related to the noun "prevailing westerly."
- the winds from the west that occur in the temperate zones of the Earth