Hang on to your hat! Wind comes from (drumroll, please) . . . THE SUN! Well, wind doesn’t travel from the Sun, but light rays do, and . . . Let’s back up for a second.
Wind is basically just the movement of a bunch of air in the same general direction. Differences in air pressure and temperature get it going. What causes these differences, you ask? THE SUN!
Because of the way Earth rotates, solar light rays heat some parts of Earth’s surface more than others. Air at hot spots rises and expands, leaving low pressure beneath it. Air at cold areas cools and falls, creating high pressure.
When high-pressure air rushes into a low pressure area, that rush of air is WIND! So the next time your umbrella gets blown inside out on a windy day, you’ll know exactly what’s to blame: THE SUN!
Art by: iStock|GettyImagesPlus/AntiMartina
