Winds affect aircraft
At the height that aircraft fly, the winds blow mainly from west to east. This means an aircraft flying from New York to London could arrive about half an hour early because it has the wind behind it, or half an hour late on the way back when flying into the wind.

Jet streams are very strong winds blowing about 10 km (6 miles) above the Earth. They can be up to 4,000 km (2,500 m) long but no more than 500 km (310 m) wide. They were not discovered until World War II 2 when pilots found their speed reduced when they were flying against the jet stream.

  Wind statistics
Strongest gust of wind in the UK - 278 kph (173 mph) in the Cairngorms, Scotland, March 20, 1986. The windiest place in the UK is Tiree, Argyllshire, Scotland where the mean annual figures are 27 kph (17 mph).

The strongest gust recorded in the USA was 371 kph (231 mph) at Mount Washinton on April 12, 1934. On the same day the average wind speed during a 24 hour period was 208 kph (129 mph).

The strongest winds in the world blow on the George V coast in Antarctica, recorded reaching speeds of 320 kph (200 mph).

Winds affect the weather and are given special names in many parts of the world:

Brickfielder - Very hot, summer wind that blows dust and sand across Australia

Chinook - Warm, dry wind of the Rocky Mountains, USA. Welcomed by cattlemen because it can remove snow cover very quickly. Named after a local Native American tribe

Fohn - Warm, dry European wind that flows down the side of mountains

Haboob - The Arabic name for a violent wind which raises sandstorms, especially in North Africa

Levanter - Pleasant, moist wind that brings mild weather to the Mediterranean

Mistral - Violent, dry cold wind that blows along the coast of Spain and France

Scirocco - Hot, dry wind that blows across North Africa from the Sahara. Becomes very hot and sticky as it reaches the sea