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May 16, 2012 |
Ways of the wind
It's something often ignored unless it's annoying, harnessed for sport or energy, the cause of great damage, or sometimes used for fun. Wind is simply defined as "a natural movement of air of any velocity." Here is a collection of images showing its effects on us and nature. -- Lloyd Young(40 photos total)

A woman grips her umbrella against the wind in front of the Jubelpark - Cinquantenaire in Brussels as a storm moved over Belgium on Jan. 5. The Belgian Royal Meteorological Institute gave a code orange warning for the heavy storm weather that moved over Belgium this morning. (Benoit Doppagne/AFP/Getty Images)

A goth enjoys the sea wind in his hair near Whitby Abbey during the Whitby Goth Weekend on April 28 in Whitby, England. Whitby Gothic Weekend which started in 1994 to celebrate all things dark and mysterious has now grown to a twice yearly event for Goths. Whitby was partly chosen because Bram Stoker wrote his famous Dracula story in the fishing town with the Gothic Whitby Abbey as his inspiration. The weekend has now grown from providing a few bands to include followers of Romanticism, Victoriana, Cybergoth and Steampunk. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) #

This photo provided by NASA shows chemical tracers that were released from five rockets launched from NASA's Wallops Island test flight facility in Atlantic, Va., Tuesday morning March 27. The tracers form white clouds that allowed scientists and the public to visualize upper level jet stream winds. (NASA) #

An Indian Hindu pilgrim holds up saris to dry in the wind after taking a holy dip in Gangasagar, some 155 kms south of Kolkata, on Jan. 14. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims gathered at the Gangasagar Mela (fair) to take a dip in the ocean at the confluence of the River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, a holy day in the Hindu calendar considered to be of great religious significance in Hindu mythology. (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images) #

A firefighter helps battle a brush fire in the Meadowlands near Metlife Stadium on April 11 in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Fire departments from around the area were on hand to bring under control one of many brush fires that have broken out in New Jersey and New York. Dry conditions, low humidity and strong winds are some of the culprits to the spreading fires. (Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images) #

A mourning flag for victims of last year's earthquake and tsunami flies in the wind at a damaged graveyard in Hirono town, Fukushima prefecture on March 10. Hirono town's municipal government is the first to return after being evacuated in the wake of the March 11, 2011 disaster, and kept away for nearly a year due to nuclear radiation fears. Of its original population of 5,300, only 250 still live in the town, according to officials. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters) #

This NOAA satellite image taken on March 22 at 1:45 PM EDT shows a spiral cloud pattern over the Central U.S. A strong low pressure system over the Plains creates a cold front that produces moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms over the Central and Eastern US. These storms have turned severe with strong winds, large hail, and a few tornadoes. Rainfall totals have reached over 2 inches across most of Mississippi. (Associaters Press) #

A wildfire that forced authorities to temporarily close a section of U.S. Highway 34 east of Yuma County, Colo. This wildfire caused at least a half-million dollars' worth of damage on Colorado's plains was sparked by a power line snapped by strong winds, according to a report on March 23. (Tony Rayl/Yuma Pioneer via Associated Press) #

A tree was pulled from the ground and inverted upside down after a severe storm passed the area on April 4 in Arlington, Texas. Preliminary findings indicate one of the tornadoes that struck North Texas had wind gusts ranging from 136 to 165 mph. As many as a dozen twisters touched down across Dallas-Fort Worth. Thousands remained without power Wed. and hundreds of homes were severely damaged. Officials reported more than 20 injuries, but no deaths. (Paul Moseley/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram via Associated Press) #

UMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG and skippered by Ken Read from the USA is followed by spectator boats as they sail towards the finish line of leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012, from Sanya, China, to Auckland, New Zealand on March 11. The US team took second place in the leg behind Groupama Sailing Team. (an Roman/Volvo Ocean Race via Associated Press) #

A dead donkey lies partially covered by the wind-swept sand in an area of desert where villagers take dead animals to avoid the smell and potential for disease affecting them, near the village of Dala in the Sahel belt of Chad. Mothers with hungry and malnourished children are flocking to feeding sites and clinics in the Chadian desert by any means they can and where it is sometimes too late to save their babies' lives, with health and U.N. officials warning that more children will die if the international humanitarian assistance is not increased. (Ben Curtis/Associated Press) #

Greg Greger, who started the annual spring Kite Festival, flies his kite on April 8 at Columbia Point Marina Park in Richland, Wash. "Sometimes when I fly it, kids will offer me 50 cents," says the 89-year-old, whose late wife was known as The Kite Lady. (Kai-Huei Yau/Tri-City Herald via Associated Press) #

A Colorado State Patrolmen and Boulder County fireman, attempt to stand up in the wind at a roadblock at 63rd and the Diagonal. High wind gusts along Highway 119 from Boulder to Longmont resulted in overturned trucks and a grass fire on Feb. 22. (Cliff Grassmick/Daily Camera via Associated Press) #

John Pettine, of San Diego, hauls in his kitesurfing kite under heavy winds along Pacific Beach on April 13 in San Diego. Wind and rain pounded areas of Southern California Friday, part of a cold storm that was expected to leave up to 14 inches of snow in southern mountains. (Gregory Bull/Associated Press) #

Sam Courtney, installation supervisor for Wind Turbines of Ohio LLC, climbs up a wind turbine tower to wrap load bearing straps on to a crane to take it down for repair at the KMC Sportsman Lodge in Gurnsey County, Ohio on March 29. Wind farm developers installed 6,810 megawatts of turbines in the U.S. last year, 31 percent more than in 2010, as they rushed to qualify for a federal-tax grant that expired last month, according to the Washington-based American Wind Energy Association. (Ty Wright/Bloomberg News) #

A collection of windmills sit in a field in Tolar, Texas. Jessie Haney loves the peace and quiet at the Windmill Farm & Bed and Breakfast in Tolar but she also appreciates the noises. Since they discovered it 10 years ago on their honeymoon, Haney and her husband, Larry, have celebrated every anniversary at the 26-acre retreat, which has 42 restored windmills, as well as horses, oak trees and wildflowers. (Paul Moseley/Star-Telegram via Associated Press) #

Moving between classes past the red, brick walls of Walla Walla High School's small gym in Walla Walla, Wash. on March 29 a student experiences some very hairy weather while trying to keep her glasses unobstructed from heavy gusts swirling hair across her face. According to the National Weather Service out of Pendleton, Oregon, a Wind Advisory is in effect for the Walla Walla area with sustained winds expected in the 25-35mph range with gusts hitting 40-50mph through 6 a.m. Friday. (Jeff Horner/WALLA WALLA UNION-BULLETIN via Associated Press) #