High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Prevailing winds are winds that blow predominantly from a single general direction over a particular point on Earth`s surface. The dominant winds are the trends in direction of wind with the highest speed over a particular point on the Earth`s surface. A region`s prevailing and dominant winds are often affected by global patterns of movement in the Earth`s atmosphere. In general, easterly flow exists at low and high latitudes globally. In the mid-latitudes, westerly winds are the rule and their strength is at the mercy of the polar cyclone. In areas where winds tend to be light, the sea breeze/land breeze cycle is the most important to the prevailing wind; in areas which have variable terrain, mountain and valley breezes dominate the wind pattern. Highly elevated surfaces can induce a thermal low, which then augments the environmental wind flow.