Wind is the horizontal movement of air relative to the earth's surface and is caused by variations in temperature and pressure (for instance, air rises as it warms and a cool breeze moves in to take the place of the rising air.)

The wind direction is the direction from which the wind is blowing (for example, a north wind comes from the north and blows toward the south.)

Prevailing winds are the wind direction most frequently observed during a given period.

A squall is a strong, sudden wind which generally lasts a few minutes then quickly decreases in speed.

A draft is a small gusty air current that moves upward or downward abruptly; hence the terms updraft and downdraft.

A gust is a sudden, brief increase in wind speed that generally lasts less than 20 seconds.

Chinooks, also called foehn winds is a word meaning snow eater. These winds are warm, dry and gusty and occur to the leeward side of a mountain range, particularly the Rocky Mountains.

Jet streams are undulating bands of strong, high-altitude winds, associated with cold fronts. They have an average altitude of 10 km and may occasionally exceed 400 km/h. Pilots often seek out a jet stream to speed their jet planes along.