wind

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wind Air current that moves rapidly parallel to the Earth's surface. (Air currents in vertical motion are called updraughts or downdraughts.) Wind direction is indicated by wind or weather vanes, wind speed by anemometers and wind force by the Beaufort wind scale. Steady winds in the tropics are called trade winds. Monsoons are seasonal winds that bring predictable rains in Asia. Föhns (foehns) are warm, dry winds produced by compression, accompanied by temperature rise as air descends the lee of mountainous areas in the Alps; a similar wind, called a Chinook, exists in the Rockies. Siroccos are hot, humid Mediterranean winds.

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