Meteorology · Wind
Buys Ballot's Law states that, in the Northern Hemisphere, if you stand with your back to the wind, the area of lower pressure lies:
- ADirectly ahead of you
- BDirectly behind you
- CTo your left✓ Correct
- DTo your right
Explanation
Buys Ballot's Law: in the Northern Hemisphere, back to the wind, low pressure is on your left (and high on your right). It lets a mariner locate a system's center from the observed wind. The rule reverses in the Southern Hemisphere.
Authority: Bowditch (Pub. No. 9)
Practice the full Meteorology bank
Free spaced-repetition quizzing across 2190 USCG exam questions — it schedules your reviews so the ones you miss come back until they stick.
Related Meteorology questions
- Wind
By convention, a wind is named for:
- Wind
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis effect deflects moving air:
- Wind
The geostrophic wind blows:
- Atmosphere & Pressure
Standard atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately:
- Atmosphere & Pressure
One millibar (mb) is equal to:
- Atmosphere & Pressure
A barometer that is falling rapidly most likely indicates: