Global Wind Patterns · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
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Global Wind Patterns

Science · Weather & Climate · ages 11-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which wind belt forms in the Hadley cell, between the equator and 30° latitude?

    • The westerlies
    • The trade winds
    • The polar easterlies

  2. What is the main reason global winds form?

    • The sun heats the equator more than the poles
    • The oceans push warm water toward the poles
    • Mountains funnel air around the planet

  3. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis effect bends moving air to the right of the direction it is traveling.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. What does the jet stream mainly do?

    • Steers weather systems like storms from west to east
    • Creates the tides in the ocean
    • Melts ice at the poles

  5. The westerlies form between which two latitudes?

    • 0° and 30°
    • 60° and 90°
    • 30° and 60°

  6. A storm north of the equator is spinning. Which way does the Coriolis effect push its winds?

    • To the left of the wind's motion
    • To the right of the wind's motion
    • Straight ahead with no bending

  7. A classmate says, 'When the jet stream gets wavier, storms move through faster.' What is wrong with that idea?

    • A wavier jet stream actually slows down, so weather can get stuck in place for longer
    • The jet stream cannot become wavy
    • Waviness only affects the jet stream in summer

  8. Why does the UK often get rainy weather arriving from the west?

    • The trade winds blow storms up from the equator
    • Polar easterlies drag storms in from the north pole
    • The westerlies and the jet stream both carry weather systems eastward across the Atlantic
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Global Wind Patterns W1-mt_iYOcfzFqMw-s1

  1. The trade winds · The Hadley cell sits closest to the equator, and where it meets the ground it drives the trade winds.
  2. The sun heats the equator more than the poles · The equator gets strong, direct sunlight while the poles get weak, spread-out sunlight. That difference in heat is what starts air moving.
  3. True · Earth's spin curves the path of moving air. In the Northern Hemisphere that curve goes to the right.
  4. Steers weather systems like storms from west to east · The jet stream is a fast, high-altitude wind that pushes storms and other weather systems along its path.
  5. 30° and 60° · The westerlies sit in the Ferrel cell, which spans 30° to 60° latitude.
  6. To the right of the wind's motion · North of the equator, the Coriolis effect always deflects moving air to the right of the direction it is heading.
  7. A wavier jet stream actually slows down, so weather can get stuck in place for longer · A wavy jet stream loops and slows, so the storm or heat wave inside a loop can linger for days or weeks instead of moving on quickly.
  8. The westerlies and the jet stream both carry weather systems eastward across the Atlantic · The UK sits under the westerlies, and the jet stream above them steers Atlantic storms straight toward Britain.
Worksheet · LightMySky