• WIND BLOWS FROM HIGH PRESSURE AREAS TO LOWER PRESSURE

• ACCORDING TO 2 FIRST NEWTONS LAW MOTION TENDS TO BE STRAIGHT AND LINEAR

UNLESS THERE IS A FORCE ACTING ON IT

• WIND WILL BE AFFECTED BY FORCES THUS, WILL NOT MOVE STRAIGHT

• FORCES ARE CORIOLIS, CENTRIFUGAL AND FRICTION

• ISOBARS ARE LINES JOINING POINTS OF EQUAL PRESSURE

• ISOHEIGHTS.
• THIS TYPE OF WINDS OCCUR WHEN

• ISOBARS ARE STRAIGHT LINES WITH NO CURVE

• CENTRIFUGAL FORCE WILL NOT AFFECT IN THIS SCENARIO

• CORIOLIS DEVIATES TO THE RIGHT NH AND LEFT SH

• CORIOLIS ACTS AT RIGHT ANGLES AND BALANCES FORCES WITH PRESSURE GRADIENT

• WHEN THIS BALANCE OCCURS, WIND BLOWS PARALLEL TO THE STRAIGHT ISOBARS
• OCCURS WHEN WIND FLOW IS CIRCULAR AROUND PRESSURE
SYSTEMS
• CORIOLIS DEFLECTS TO THE RIGHT ON THE NH (L ON THE SH)
• WHEN BALANCE IS ACHIEVED, AIR FLOWS INITIALLY PARALLEL TO
ISOBARS BUT AS IT IS A CURVED PATH, CENTRIFUGAL FORCE PLAYS AN
IMPORTANT ROLL
• CENTRIFUGAL FORCES ACTS OUTWARDS ON BOTH HIGH AND LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEMS (h super l sub)
• ITS FORCE DEPENDS ON WIND SPEED AND CURVATURE OF THE
PRESSURE SYSTEM
 Backing winds
(counterclockwise)
(descending/
decreasing altitude)

1000
ft
Veering
3000 ft (increasing
Subgeostrophic (low 0ft altitude)
pressure system)

Boundary layer 0 to
3000ft approx
 Backing winds
(counterclockwise)
(descending/
decreasing altitude)

WIND

Veering
1030 (increasing
CENTRIFUGAL FORCE 1025 altitude)
PRESSURE CORIOLIS
GRADIENT 1020

Boundary layer 0 to
Gradient wind on a high pressure 3000ft approx.
system → SUPER-GEOSTROPHIC (Main cause for
veering and
backing winds)
• PRESSURE GRADIENT → RATE OF CHANGE OF PRESSURE
PERPENDICULAR TO THE ISOBARS
• ISOBARS ARE USED BY METEOROLOGISTS FOR DEPICTING PRESSURE
FIELDS
• ISOBARS ARE LINES CONNECTING POINTS WITH THE SAME PRESSURE
VALUE
• THE CLOSER THE ISOBARS, THE STRONGER THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
• PRESSURE GRADIENT CAN BE EITHER VERTICAL OR HORIIZONTAL
• THE PRESSURE GRADIENT FORCE IS THE FORCE THAT MOVES AIR
FROM AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE TO A LOW PRESSURE AREA
• WIND VELOCITY IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO PRESSURE GRADIENT
• ONE COULD EXPECT WIND TO FLOW ACROSS THE ISOBARS
• ACTUAL WIND FLOWS ON A CIRCULAR PATERN AROUND THE
PRESSURE SYSTEM
• THAT IS DUE TO THE CORIOLIS AND CENTRIFUGAL FORCE
• IF PRESSURE GRADIENT FORCE WERE THE ONLY ONE AFFECTING
WIND FLOW IT WOULD BLOW AT A RIGHT ANGLES ACROSS THE
ISOBARS
• ONE OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING HOW THE WIND BLOWS IS EARTH’S
ROTATION (CORIOLIS FORCE)
• RELATIVE MOTION DUE TO EARTHS ROTATION DEVIATES IT TO THE
RIGHT ON THE NH AND TO THE LEFT ON THE SH
• HIGHER AT THE POLES THAN AT THE EQ.
• 1ST NEWTONS LAW (BODY ON REST)
• THERE ARE TWO FORCES ACTING SO A BODY CAN FOLLOW A CURVED
PATH (CENTRIPETAL)
• ACCORDING TO NEWTONS 3RD LAW (REACTING FORCE)
• CENTRIFUGAL FORCE IS THE REACTING ONE IN THIS SCENARIO
• CENTRIPETAL ACTS TOWARDS THE CENTER
• CENTRIFUGAL ACTS OTWARDS THE CURVE
• THIS FORCE IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO WIND SPEED
• ACTS REDUCING WIND SPEED

• THEREFORE CORIOLIS DEVIATING FORCE IS LESS (BALANCING FORCES)

• WIND BLOWS ACROSS THE ISOBARS FROM HIGH TO LOW

• BOUNDARY LAYER IS CONSIDERED FROM 30 FT TO 3000 FT PROX.

• FROM 3000 FT ONWARDS WIND IS CONSIDERED AS GRADIENT

• ROTATION RADIUS SO SMALL
• CENTRIFUGAL BECOMES QUITE STRONG COMPARED TO CORIOLIS
• PARTICULARLY TRUE IN LOW LATITUDES (LESS CORIOLIS EFFECT)
• THEN, CYCLOSTROPHIC WIND EXISTS WHEN PRESSURE GRADIENT IS
BALANCED ONLY BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE
• HURRICANES AND TORNADOES
• VERTICAL CONVECTIVE CURRENTS DUE TO LOCAL HEATING

• OCCURS NORMALLY ON SUNNY DAYS WITH VERY LIGHT WINDS

• MOST COMMONLY ON AREAS OF BARE ROCK OR SAND.

• DUST DEVILS.
• SIGNIFICANT VARIATION FROM MEAN WIND SPEED

• IN AVIATION 10 MINUTES 10 KTS OR MORE

• WIND SHIFTING CLOCKWISE OR COUNTERCLOCKWISE

• AT A GIVEN LOCATION OR WITH HEIGHT (FRICTIONAL FORCES)