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Crosswind
Crosswind
Crosswind
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In a crosswind landing, the fuselage of the plane may be skewed relative to the runway

A crosswind is any wind that has a perpendicular component to the line or direction of travel. This affects the aerodynamics of many forms of transport. Moving non-parallel to the wind direction creates a crosswind component on the object and thus increasing the apparent wind on the object; such use of cross wind travel is used to advantage by sailing craft, kiteboarding craft, power kiting, etc. On the other side, crosswind moves the path of vehicles sideways and can be a hazard.

Definition

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When winds are not parallel to or directly with/against the line of travel, the wind is said to have a crosswind component; that is, the force can be separated into two vector components:

  • the headwind or tailwind component in the direction of motion,
  • the crosswind component perpendicular to the former.

A vehicle behaves as though it is directly experiencing a lateral effect of the magnitude of the crosswind component only. The crosswind component is computed by multiplying the wind speed by the sine of the angle between the wind and the direction of travel while the headwind component is computed in the same manner, using cosine instead of sine. For example, a 10 knot wind coming at 45 degrees from either side will have a crosswind component of 10 knots × sin(45°) and a head/tailwind component of 10 knots × cos(45°), both equals to 7.07 knots.

Pilots can use a use a crosswind component chart to calculate the headwind component and the crosswind component. The red line in this image indicates a 30° angular difference at a 25-knot wind velocity. The headwind is about 22 knots, and the crosswind is about 13 knots.[1]

To determine the crosswind component in aviation, aviators frequently refer to a nomograph chart on which the wind speed and angle are plotted, and the crosswind component is read from a reference line. Direction of travel relative to the wind may be left or right, up or down, or oblique.[2]

Impact

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Skilled cyclists can ride in crosswinds using a Belgian tourniquet (Belgischer Kreisel)

In aviation, a crosswind is the component of wind that is blowing across the runway, making landings and take-offs more difficult than if the wind were blowing straight down the runway. If a crosswind is strong enough, it can damage an aircraft's undercarriage upon landing. Crosswinds, sometimes abbreviated as X/WIND, are reported in knots, abbreviated kt, and often use the plural form in expressions such as "with 40kt crosswinds". Smaller aircraft are often not limited by their ability to land in a crosswind, but may see their ability to taxi safely reduced.

Crosswinds can also cause difficulty with ground vehicles traveling on wet or slippery roads (snow, ice, standing water, etc.), especially when gusting conditions affect vehicles that have a large side area such as vans, SUVs, and tractor-trailers. This can be dangerous for motorists because of the possible lift force created, causing the vehicle to lose traction or change direction of travel. The safest way for motorists to deal with crosswinds is by reducing their speed to reduce the effect of the lift force and to steer into the direction of the crosswind.[further explanation needed]

Cyclists are also significantly affected by crosswinds.[3][4] Saving energy by avoiding riding in wind is a major part of the tactics of road bicycle racing, and this particularly applies in crosswinds. In crosswinds, groups of cyclists form 'echelons', rotating from the windward and leeward side.[4][5] Riders who fail to form part of an echelon will have to work much harder, and can be dropped by the group that they are with.[4] Crosswinds are common on races near the coast, and are often a feature of the Belgian classic one-day races,[6] or flat stages of the Tour de France.[7]

See also

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References

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Crosswind

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
A crosswind is a wind component that blows perpendicular to the intended direction of travel. In meteorological terms, it arises when ambient winds are at an angle to the path of motion, requiring compensation for drift to maintain directional control. This phenomenon is distinct from headwinds or tailwinds, as it primarily affects lateral stability rather than forward . Crosswinds pose challenges to various modes of transportation, requiring adjustments in operations that may affect efficiency, , and route . In flight, the primary aerodynamic effect is to deflect the ground track in the direction of the wind, with lift remaining dependent on . During , crosswinds can lead to hazards such as veering off the or loss of control if the crosswind component exceeds the aircraft's demonstrated limits, which vary by model—typically ranging from 25 to 40 knots (29 to 46 km/h) for commercial jets. Crosswinds influence , , automotive racing, and pedestrian stability in high winds, with their role in transportation safety driving research into wind prediction and design improvements. Regulatory bodies like the FAA and EASA set crosswind guidelines based on empirical data to prevent accidents, with historical incidents highlighting the need for training in gusty conditions.

Fundamentals

Definition

A crosswind is defined as any wind that has a perpendicular component relative to the direction of travel or intended path, irrespective of any concurrent parallel component along that path. This perpendicular aspect distinguishes it as a lateral influence on motion, applicable across various domains of transportation and navigation. Wind velocity can be resolved into these parallel and perpendicular components for analysis, though detailed decomposition is addressed elsewhere. The term "crosswind" emerged in the early , drawing from nautical and terminology to describe winds crossing a vessel's or aircraft's course. Its first documented uses appear around , coinciding with the rapid development of powered flight and formalized practices. Prior general references to "cross-winds" date to the late in English literature, but the modern specialized sense solidified in transportation contexts during this period. Crosswinds differ fundamentally from headwinds and tailwinds, which act along the line of travel: a headwind blows directly opposite to the path, increasing relative speed and resistance, while a tailwind blows from behind, reducing it. In contrast, the crosswind's effect stems exclusively from its sideways vector, as illustrated in the following conceptual diagram where the intended path is horizontal:

Intended Path → | Wind Vector (diagonal) | ↓ [Perpendicular](/page/Perpendicular) (Crosswind) Component Parallel (Head/Tail) Component →

Intended Path → | Wind Vector (diagonal) | ↓ [Perpendicular](/page/Perpendicular) (Crosswind) Component Parallel (Head/Tail) Component →

This vector resolution highlights the crosswind's unique lateral nature. In practical contexts, a crosswind arises when ambient deviates from the alignment of a in , requiring pilots to adjust for the sideways push during takeoff or . Similarly, for ground vehicles like automobiles, it manifests relative to the road's orientation, potentially influencing without altering forward speed directly. These examples underscore the term's broad applicability to any directed motion encountering non-aligned winds.

Physical Principles

A crosswind exerts a lateral on a moving object due to the perpendicular component of airflow relative to its direction of travel, inducing sideslip and generating yaw moments that can alter orientation. This lateral arises from the transfer of air molecules impacting the object's side, creating a net pressure imbalance across its surface. In , this manifests as a sideslip β\beta, defined as the angle between the object's longitudinal axis and the relative wind vector, which produces asymmetric aerodynamic loading. For instance, in or , the resulting yaw moment NN can be approximated as N=Cn⋅q⋅S⋅b⋅βN = C_n \cdot q \cdot S \cdot b \cdot \beta, where CnC_n is the yawing moment , qq is , SS is reference area, bb is span, and β\beta quantifies the sideslip induced by the crosswind. Aerodynamically, crosswind-induced pressure differences stem from variations in airflow velocity around the object, governed by , which states that an increase in fluid speed corresponds to a decrease in static along a streamline: P+12ρV2+ρgh=\constantP + \frac{1}{2} \rho V^2 + \rho g h = \constant, where PP is , ρ\rho is , VV is , gg is , and hh is . In crosswind conditions, the relative wind's perpendicular component accelerates flow over one side while stagnating it on the other, lowering on the windward side and increasing it leeward, thereby amplifying the lateral force and yaw tendency. The yaw angle, or heading deviation from the track, interacts with sideslip to further influence these dynamics, as the effective in the lateral plane shifts the center of . The crosswind component vcv_c is derived from vector decomposition of the wind velocity relative to the travel direction. Consider the wind velocity vector vw⃗\vec{v_w}
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