# From what direction does the prevailing wind blow in a Northeaster?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 7, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285 "2012-11-07T22:00:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/1 "2012-11-07T22:00:05Z")

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From what direction does the prevailing wind blow in a Northeaster?

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**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/2 "2012-11-07T22:03:14Z")

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North East

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**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/3 "2012-11-07T22:05:53Z")

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OK, so just to make sure I’ve got it, the wind blows from the northeast towards the southwest?

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**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/4 "2012-11-07T22:12:51Z")

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Hence the name.

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**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/5 "2012-11-07T22:17:29Z")

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Thanks, I was worried it might be called Northeaster because wind moved southwest to northeast.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/6 "2012-11-07T22:24:36Z")

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Winds are named for the direction they come from, not the direction they’re going in.

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/7 "2012-11-07T22:25:43Z")

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> [@Vaevictis](#):
>
> Thanks, I was worried it might be called Northeaster because wind moved southwest to northeast.

Meteorological phenomena named for some variation of a cardinal compass direction are named for the direction from whence they come, and not for where they’re going. A “westerly flow” is flowing **from** the west.

I think this rule is pretty consistent. Certainly, that’s what I’ve observed working with meteorologists. They’re usually interested in what’s happening “upwind”… the weather 100 miles upwind right now is the weather here in a couple of hours.

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/8 "2012-11-07T22:32:30Z")

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it is a rotating storm which winds going onto the land comes from the northeast.

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**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-what-direction-does-the-prevailing-wind-blow-in-a-northeaster/640285/9 "2012-11-07T22:36:22Z")

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… And they call the wind Mariah.