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For K-12 Students · Geostrophic Wind

Geostrophic Wind for a hailstorm

Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a hailstorm live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.

Geostrophic WindLive

wind parallel to isobars

Controls

Presets

Pressure gradient (mbar/100km)

Latitude (°)

Away from the ground, wind does not blow from high to low pressure — it blows along the isobars. The pressure-gradient force pushing air toward low pressure is balanced by the Coriolis force, and the result, the geostrophic wind, runs parallel to the pressure lines. Tighter isobar spacing means stronger wind. This is why you can read wind straight off a weather map.

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Data Inspector

Geostrophic wind24.2 m/s

In km/h87 km/h

Coriolis f1.03×10⁻⁴

Governing equation

v_{g} = \frac{1}{ρ f} \frac{\partial p}{\partial n} = 24.2 m/s, f = 2Ω sin (45°) = 1.03 \times 1 0^{- 4} s^{- 1}

Reading this result: The wind blows along the isobars, not across them: the pressure-gradient force toward low pressure is exactly cancelled by the Coriolis force, leaving a steady flow parallel to the lines.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this good for k-12 students?: Yes — this version of "Geostrophic Wind for a hailstorm" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
Do I need to install anything?: No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.