TRADE WIND

very steady wind that blows westward and toward the equator from the subtropical high-pressure belts at latitudes near 30 N and 30 S toward the intertropical convergence zone. It is stronger and more consistent over the oceans than over land and produces fairly clear skies that make trade-wind islands popular tourist resorts. Its average speed is about 5 to 6 m per second (11 to 13 miles per hour). The trade winds were named by the crews of sailing ships that depended on the winds during westward ocean crossings.