Winds aloft around low-pressure systems rotate in which direction?

• A. Clockwise
• B. Counterclockwise
• C. Inward
• D. Outward

Answer: (B)

Winds aloft around a low-pressure system rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere because air tends to move toward the center of the low (inward), and the Coriolis effect deflects this moving air to the right. The combination of inward flow and rightward deflection produces a cyclonic, counterclockwise swirl around the low. This pattern is the opposite of what you’d see around a high-pressure system (which is clockwise and outward). Note that in the Southern Hemisphere, the directions are reversed.