Westerlies

• Westerlies are prevailing winds that blow in middle latitudes(between 30 and 60 degrees latitude) that blow from west to east.

• They move from subtropical high-pressure belts to subpolar low-pressure belts.

• They blow from the southwest to the northeast in the northern hemisphere, and from the northwest to the southeast in the southern hemisphere.

• The westerlies in the southern hemisphere are stronger and more persistent due to the great expanse of the ocean, but those in the northern hemisphere are irregular due to uneven relief of vast land masses.

These latitudes are referred to as the Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties, and Shrieking Sixties by sailors.