Explain briefly why upper-level winds at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere blow from west to east. In what direction do upper level winds at middle latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere blow?
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ANSWER: Winds aloft in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere tend to blow in a west-to-east pattern due to the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis force (which bends moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere). In the Southern Hemisphere, just as in the Northern Hemisphere, the winds aloft blow because of horizontal differences in pressure. The pressure gradient force in the Southern Hemisphere is directed southward and starts the air moving south. Then the Coriolis force bends the moving air to its left, until the wind is blowing parallel to the isobars from the west. Hence, in the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres, we generally find westerly winds aloft.
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