What causes wind to blow?

In this video we explain the science behind wind.

Wind is air in motion, travelling between areas of different pressure. To understand what causes this motion; we first need to understand a bit about air pressure. When air heats up, the atoms and molecules within it move faster and spread out. It is this reaction to heat that causes warm air to expand and rise, In colder air the molecules move more slowly and are closer together, which makes the air sink. When heat from the sun reflects off the Earth surface, it warms the air above it - this air will rise, leaving areas of lower pressure. In contrast, areas of higher pressure occur where the cooler air is located. When there is a difference in air pressure between two areas, air moves from the high pressure area to low pressure area to equalise the pressure. The best example of how this causes wind is in coastal areas.

On sunny days, land warms up quicker than the sea, which reflects more of the sun’s rays. This creates a temperature contrast and, as the land heats up, it warms and expands the air above it. As this warm air expands, an area of low pressure is created over the land leaving relatively higher pressure over the sea. This pressure difference causes air to move from the sea to the land to equalise the pressure difference. That rush of air is the wind we experience. In this case, a sea breeze.

You may also enjoy:

We are the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, and every day of the week we bring you a morning weather forecast and an afternoon weather forecast so that wherever you are in the UK we have you covered. Forecasts and any weather warnings are accurate at time of recording.
To ensure you have the most up to date weather information, check the hourly forecast and live warnings on the Met Office website or app.

[CTheRobot]

Lovely, I’d watched a video from elsewhere and didn’t get it, but the sea breeze example was just what my brain needed! Thanks 🙌🏾

[LizMAlex]

Great explanation, including the graphics... well done!

[rodolfodumaliangiii]

The way on how you explain it is brillant.

[lisazander]

These are great, but the lack of narration makes them less accessible to some learners. Please consider revising!

[malluliterature]

Really helpful, after a long search, I understand it

[wanderlust]

i was more concentrating on the music than the content

[waywardplanet]

Thank you for making this video, it’s exactly what I needed to finally understand this!!!

[uainediabhal]

I like any video that gets to the point immediately, so thank you for that

[agentarbr]

This been stuck in my head for a bit but thanks

[Jurassic]

i needed to know the answer of this question, thank you so much for making this video:)

[mytcutube]

Met Office . Brilliant communication skills …

[JustValiant-]

Very well explained, thank you so much

[quadranglefriends]

What's the name of the music in this video? I love it!

[foreverraining]

So why are there high winds in the winter? For example in NY or Chi, the sun doesn't provide that much heat in winter, so shouldn't the pressure be relatively the same? And where do sudden wind gusts come from?

[rodjames]

If the sun is a long way away would the side the sun shines on the earth be high pressure and the other side low?

[AsratMengesha]

Warm air from earth rise to cool air, to the atmosphere and that is wind? No, wind does not move up to the atmosphere. Wind is created from earth surface and moves around the surface horizontally after it grows to certain height into air.

[ahmadferoz]

why does air pressure have to equalise, why cant one area just be low pressure and one be high pressure and co-exist as it is, is there an electromagnetic attraction that makes high pressure spaces move to the low pressure spaces?

[nicgreaves]

So why does the heat need to be absorbed by the earth and re emitted as opposed to just being heated up the first time?

[davebalmada]

Can climate change affect the strength and frequency of winds in coastal areas? I live in The Netherlands and I need to know if I'll have to prepare for stronger winds :(

[zwpnksq]

I just have a question...does air move in ALL directions? Someone plz answer! 🤞🏻