How does a storm sustain winds? Where does the energy to sustain hours of wind come from?
In: Physics
Wind is typically generated by two different fronts clashing, but can also be generated simply by energy being beamed at Earth by the sun.
When two fronts class (Warm/Cold Fronts), wind typically gets intense. The stronger the fronts, the stronger the wind. This is typically what causes thunderstorms because when a warm front, which can hold more moisture then colder air, is blasted by a cold front, moisture is wrung out of the air like a towel being twisted which is what causes the rain.
Most importantly, Thunderstorms tend to be more intense and windy during the day because the sun plays a significant role. The sun feeds weather systems energy. Without energy, the warm front can start to cool and cold fronts can more easily move in without a full blown storm. In this case, we tend to see heavy amounts of dew if the dew point stays relatively high.
Since this is ELI5, I have tried to give you a’ extremely simplified answer that’s easy to understand but wind and storms can be created and affected by numerous factors. It’s worth looking on YouTube and watching Weather Channel snippets where they describe how storms form and where wind comes from.
Sustained winds are caused by differences in the atmospheric pressure. When a difference in atmospheric pressure exists, air moves from the higher to the lower pressure area, resulting in winds of various speeds. On a rotating planet, such as Earth, the air will also be deflected by the Coriolis effect, except exactly on the equator.
https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satmet/modules/7_weather_forecast/images/pressurewind.gif
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