RAS question
Trade winds in the Northern Hemisphere blow from which direction?
Correct answer: (C) Northeast to Southwest.
In the Northern Hemisphere, trade winds blow from the northeast towards the southwest.
Explanation
Trade winds are the prevailing easterly winds found near the equator. For the Northern Hemisphere, the key is not just that they have an east-to-west component, but that they are specifically deflected into a northeast-to-southwest flow between the equator and about 30°N. These are the Northeast Trade Winds, and their direction is linked to the Coriolis Effect, which deflects moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. NOAA National Ocean Service describes the same pattern: between about 30° north and 30° south, Earth’s rotation makes air slant towards the equator in a south-westerly direction in the Northern Hemisphere, while the trade winds as a whole move from east to west on both sides of the equator.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) West to east flow describes the Westerlies found roughly between 30° and 60°, not the trade winds near the equator.
- (B) Trade winds do have an east-to-west component, but in the Northern Hemisphere their actual direction is northeast to southwest, not simply east to west at all latitudes.
- (D) Southwest to northeast is the reverse of the Northern Hemisphere trade-wind direction and is associated in this context with monsoon winds in India, not the trades.
Concept
This tests the World Geography concept of planetary winds and Coriolis deflection. It recurs in RAS because trade winds link atmospheric circulation, latitude belts and monsoon basics in one high-yield fact.