In which direction do the trade winds blow?

Question

Jonathan Avila · Accepted Answer

Trade winds blow from the horse latitudes toward the equator and the west.

Here is an image of the trade winds flowing toward the equator from the horse latitudes. Note how the Coriolis effect deflects them so the winds in the Northern Hemisphere blow toward the southwest and in the Southern Hemisphere to the northwest. These are the winds at the surface. The winds above the effects of the surface actually just blow east to west.

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This is a legend retold by NOAA that supposedly accounts for the name "horse latitudes:"

"According to legend, the term comes from ships sailing to the New World that would often become stalled for days or even weeks when they encountered areas of high pressure and calm winds.

Many of these ships carried horses to the Americas as part of their cargo. Unable to sail and resupply due to lack of wind, crews often ran out of drinking water.

To conserve scarce water, sailors on these ships would sometimes throw the horses they were transporting overboard.

Thus, the phrase 'horse latitudes' was born."

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You can find out more about the trade winds here
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Eleanor Apodaca · Answer

undefined The trade winds blow from the subtropical high-pressure belts toward the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, they blow from the northeast, and in the Southern Hemisphere, they blow from the southeast.