Global wind patterns: Winds are named by the direction from which they blow. The globe is encircled by six major wind belts, three in each hemisphere. From pole to equator, they are the polar easterlies, the westerlies, and the trade winds
In the mid latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees north and south, winds that blow toward the poles are turned toward the east by the Coriolis effect. Blowing west to east they are called prevailing westerlies and generally blow from the southwest in north latitudes and from the northwest in south latitudes.