Wind is invisible, but you can feel it. It caresses the face, tangles the hair, snatches off hats. For nature, wind is life. It spreads seeds, pollinates flowers, drives away clouds with rain. For humans, it is energy, danger, inspiration. But in recent years, wind has become more capricious. Hurricanes destroy homes, droughts kill crops. What has changed? We tell you about the role of wind in the life of the planet and people.

How Wind is Born

Wind is the movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Simply put: where the air is warmer, it rises, and cold air comes in its place — wind blows. The greater the temperature difference, the stronger the wind.

There are permanent winds on Earth: trade winds (blow towards the equator), westerlies (in temperate latitudes), monsoons (change direction with the seasons). Local winds: breeze (day — from the sea to the land, night — vice versa), foehn (warm wind from the mountains), bora (cold, from the mountains to the sea).

Wind speed is measured in meters per second (m/s). Calm wind (0-0.5 m/s) — smoke rises vertically. Light (1-3 m/s) — leaves rustle. Moderate (5-8 m/s) — branches sway. Strong (10-15 m/s) — trees bend. Storm (20-25 m/s) — branches break. Hurricane (more than 30 m/s) — destruction.

The strongest wind in the Solar System is on Neptune (up to 2000 km/h). The record on Earth is 408 km/h (Island Barrow, Australia, 1996).

Wind in Nature: Pollinator and Traveler

Wind carries pollen. More than 80% of plants (grains, birch, alder, pine) are pollinated by wind. Without wind, there would be no bread — wheat, rye, oats are pollinated by wind. Ambrosia and other allergens are also spread by wind — a problem for allergy sufferers.

Wind spreads seeds. Dandelion, maple, birch, osier, poplar (puff) — their seeds have "parachutes". Orchid seeds are microscopic, wind carries them for thousands of kilometers. Pines and firs spread by wind.

Wind shapes the landscape. Deserts: wind blows away sand, creates dunes (sand dunes). Wind polishes rocks, creates "stone mushrooms". In the Arctic, wind blows over glaciers, accelerating melting.

Wind drives waves and currents. Without wind, the ocean would be still water. Waves mix water, enrich it with oxygen, spread plankton.

Wind and Climate: Global Conveyor

Wind is the main driving factor of the climate. It carries heat from the tropics to the poles. Without wind, it would be +50 on the equator and -70 on the poles. Wind drives clouds: where wind brings moisture, it rains; where it blows from the land — drought.

El Niño and La Niña — fluctuations of wind and currents in the Pacific Ocean. They affect the weather all over the planet: floods in Peru, droughts in Australia, hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Global warming changes winds. The speed of westerlies has increased by 15% in 50 years. Arctic winds are weakening, leading to the melting of ice. In 2026, scientists predict an increase in storms in Europe.

Changes in winds affect crops. In 2025, the monsoon in India came two weeks later, 20% of rice was destroyed. In Russia, strong winds in spring 2026 uprooted crops in the Volga region.

Wind and Man: From Mill to Turbine

Humans have been using wind since ancient times. Sails (wind pushes ships) — 5000 years. Windmills (for grinding grain, lifting water) — 2000 years. In Europe in the 19th century, there were 10,000 mills. In the Netherlands, mills drained swamps.

Today, wind is a source of "green" energy. Wind turbines generate electricity. In 2026, 800 GW of wind power capacity has been installed worldwide (like 800 nuclear power plants). Leaders: China, the United States, Germany, India.

Advantages of wind energy: free, no CO2 emissions, no waste. Disadvantages: noise, birds die, dependent on weather (no wind — no electricity), takes up a lot of land.

Wind turbines are in Kalmykia, Crimea, the Rostov region of Russia. But the share of wind in the energy balance is less than 1%.

Wind-Destroyer: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Hurricanes (tropical cyclones) are winds of more than 33 m/s (120 km/h). The most destructive: Katrina (2005, USA, 1836 dead), Harvey (2017, Texas), Irma (2017). In 2026, the hurricane season in the Atlantic is expected to be above average (due to warm water).

Tornado (tornado) is a funnel-shaped vortex, wind speed up to 500 km/h. In the United States, the "tornado alley" has up to 1000 tornadoes a year. Tornadoes are rare in Russia, but they do happen: a tornado in Bashkortostan in 2024 destroyed a village.

How to survive a hurricane: take shelter in a basement, far from windows. Do not stay near trees, power lines. In a car — dangerous, the wind can flip it over.

In 2026, drones for studying hurricanes have been developed: launched inside, transmit data on pressure.

Wind and Human Health

Wind affects well-being. Strong wind causes migraines in people sensitive to weather changes. Cold wind (wind with rain) intensifies joint pain. Foehn (warm, dry wind in the mountains) causes dizziness and depression. Bora (cold wind) can cause vasospasm.

Concentration of pollen is higher in windy weather (allergies). But wind blows away smog from cities. After a windy day in Moscow, the air is cleaner by 30%.

Can wind carry infections? Yes, strong wind carries droplets of saliva further (but mainly indoors, not outdoors).

Psychological effect: the sound of wind soothes (white noise). But constant strong wind causes anxiety.

Wind and Animals

Animals use wind. Birds fly with the wind (save energy). During migrations, they choose windy days. Spiders "fly" on the web (release a thread, the wind catches it) — so they spread. Monarch butterflies also use wind.

Insects feel wind: flies fly to shelter, bees do not fly in strong wind.

Mammals: deer and elk sense the smell of a predator through the wind (stand on the leeward side). Wolves use wind to hide their scent.

Sea turtles orient themselves by wind during migration.

How Wind Affects Crop Yield

For a farmer, wind is both friend and foe. Weak wind cools plants, reduces evaporation. Strong wind flattens (uproots) wheat, tears off fruits, dries the soil (wind erosion). Wind with salt (on the coast) kills crops.

Windbreak: shelterbelts (rows of trees), windbreak nets, sunflower screens. In China and the United States, fields are protected by rows of trees.

In 2026, "windbreak drones" have been created — they hover over the field and reduce wind speed at ground level (experimentally).

Wind in Deserts and Mountains

Deserts are the kingdom of wind. Samum (hot wind in the Sahara) causes sandstorms, can kill a person (temperature +50, sand blocks breathing). Hamseen (wind in Egypt) brings heat and dust.

In the mountains — foehn (warm wind from the mountains). In the Alps, it blows away snow, increases the risk of avalanches. Bora — cold wind from the mountains to the sea, in Novorossiysk, speed up to 50 m/s, overturns cars.

In the Himalayas — the "southern echo" wind, it brings rain to the Indian side and drought to the Tibetan side.

Conclusion: Living with the Wind

Wind cannot be stopped. You can only adapt. Build windbreak forests, use energy, predict hurricanes. Wind is neither good nor bad. It is the force of nature. And how we live with it depends on our future.

Go out on the street on a windy day. Turn your face towards the wind. Feel how the wind touches you. It is the breath of the planet. It was before us and will be after. We are just passengers.

Permanent link to this publication: