Local winds are winds that blow over a limited area, influenced by small low and high pressure systems. They are characterized by their regularity and the limited area where they are observed. Examples of local winds include sea breeze, land breeze, mountain breeze, and valley breeze. Sea breezes and land breezes are opposites, with sea breezes blowing from the water to the shore, and land breezes blowing from the shore toward the water. Anabatic and katabatic winds are also types of local winds, caused by thermal processes and occurring over slopes that are heated or cooled by the sun, respectively. These winds tend to be short-lived, lasting typically several hours to a day, and can have various hazards associated with them.
Local winds play a significant role in shaping the environment and can have both short-term and long-term effects on the surfaces and objects in their path. They can blow sand, snow, water, and even shape rock walls and trees. The effects of these winds can be gradual and long term, such as shaping the buttes of the American West and the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert.
