The regular winds that are known by the nicknames ‘Roaring Forties’, ‘Furious Fifties’ and ‘Screaming Sixties’ belong to which of the following types of winds?
These nicknames refer to the powerful Westerlies found in the Southern Hemisphere. Unlike the Northern Hemisphere, which is broken up by large landmasses, the Southern Ocean is almost entirely water. This lack of friction allows the Westerlies to accelerate to incredible speeds, creating the dangerous conditions sailors encounter between 40° and 60° South latitude. ANSWER: (A) Westerlies
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The Westerlies blow from the subtropical highs toward the subpolar lows. In the Southern Hemisphere, they are particularly fierce because there is very little land to act as a “windbreak.” As a result, these winds grow progressively stronger as you move further south. Sailors historically used these winds to race across the globe, naming the latitudes based on the sound and intensity of the wind: the “Roaring” 40s, the “Furious” 50s and the “Shrieking” or “Screaming” 60s. They remain some of the most consistent and powerful wind belts on Earth.
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