What are factors responsible for speed of wind?

Question

What are factors responsible for speed of wind?

Answer 1

Pressure gradient:- if pressure gradient is steep,wind becomes strong and flows towards low pressure area with great speed.

Turbulence:- when an air mass is heated more by solar radiation,this warm air rises and convection currents are set up.If the convection current is strong,turbulence is produced which affect the horizontal wind below.If the turbulent fluctuation is more,more air is sucked to higher levels leading to strong horizontal winds.

Gravity:-The air which rises over the low pressure area becomes cold at higher levels and sinks over the high pressure.This is due to the gravity as cold air  becomes more dense and is pulled by the gravity over high pressure areas.Similarly cold air,if any, is pulled down by the gravity in other areas also pushing the air near the surface horizontally towards the low pressure area.

Thus a circulation of air is completed by the forces due to pressure gradient,turbulence and gravity.

Friction:- friction retards the motion of air.It is greatest near the surface.Effect of friction decreases rapidly above approximately 2000 feet.

Answer 2

Wind speed is affected by a number of factors, situations, operating on varying scales (from micro to macro scales). These include the pressure gradient, Rossby waves and jet streams and local weather conditions. There are also links to be found between wind speed and wind direction, notably with the pressure gradient and surfaces that the air is to be found over.

Pressure gradient is a term to describe the difference in air pressure between two points in the atmosphere or on the surface of the Earth. It is vital to wind speed, because the greater the difference in pressure, the faster the wind flows (from the high to low pressure) to balance out the variation. The pressure gradient, when combined with the Coriolis Effect and friction, also influences wind direction

Rossby waves are strong winds in the upper troposphere. These operate on a global scale and move from West to East (hence being known as Westerlies). The Rossby waves are themselves a different wind speed to what we experience in the lower troposphere.

Local weather conditions play a key role in influencing wind speed, as the formation of hurricanes, monsoons or cyclones as freak weather conditions can drastically affect the velocity of the wind.