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prevailing westerlies The prevailing westerly winds on the poleward sides of the sub-tropical high-pressure belts (see G216). These belts are usually made of isolated Highs, hence this circulation is just the normal circulation around the Highs on their poleward sides. The same circulation on the equator sides makes up or at least blends into the trade winds. The band of westerlies extends from some 40° to 60° latitude. Prevailing in this case means the winds are statistically from this direction, but they do not "prevail" in any sense as much as say the trade winds do. For a global presentation see the World Atlas under global winds.

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