In illustration D009NG below, your position X is at LAT 35° S. Which winds are you experiencing?
• Wind circulation around a HIGH in the Southern Hemisphere • Relationship between wind direction and isobars on a weather map • Naming winds by the direction they come FROM (not where they’re going)
• First, decide: in the Southern Hemisphere, does air circulate clockwise or counterclockwise around a HIGH? • At position X (on the western/southwestern side of the high), once you know the circulation sense, which way will the wind be blowing along the isobars? • After you picture that arrow at X, from what compass quadrant is that wind coming (N, S, E, or W)?
• Be sure you’re using the rule for the Southern Hemisphere, not the Northern. • Confirm that you are naming the wind by the direction it originates from (e.g., "southwesterly" = FROM the southwest). • Visualize or sketch the circulation around the HIGH and draw a small arrow at X that is tangent to the isobars; use that arrow to determine the wind name.
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