Trade winds are the surface component of the Hadley cell, blowing persistently between latitudes 30° and the equator. They come from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and the southeast in the Southern, deflected by the Coriolis effect.
Global importance
Trade winds drive equatorial ocean currents, regulate moisture transport towards the ITCZ, and play a key role in hurricane development. In the Canary Islands, the northeast trades create the famous "sea of clouds" on north-facing slopes and the relative coolness of summer.