Anticyclones are associated with fair weather and clear, cloudless skies, and are characterized by stable air. The descending air from these systems prevents moisture from rising into the atmosphere and forming clouds. In reality, therefore, winds do not blow directly from an area of high pressure to one of low pressure as theory would have it, but are deflected by the Coriolis effect. Because of the Coriolis effect, the wind usually blows from the east or west, rather than from the north or south. Winds tend to be stronger over water, on plateaus, at high altitudes, along enclosed valleys and in coastal regions.
Winds are also generally strongest in winter.
The windiest places in Canada are along the Atlantic, Pacific and Hudson Bay coasts and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. For example, Newfoundland, one of the windiest places on the continent, is near one of the main paths for violent storms. Even Saskatchewan, while not the windiest region in Canada, has high wind speeds because of its large, flat, obstacle-free surfaces. The speed of winds is classified on the Beaufort Scale. The Beaufort scale is a scale which indicates wind strength according to speed and ability to affect things, such as moving a flag, turning an umbrella, lifting roof shingles and so on.