The highest clouds are typically about 17,000 to 50,000 feet above the ground. These are the cirrus clouds which are composed of ice crystals and appear as white, silky filaments, patches or bands. Clouds that form beneath cirrus clouds include the stratus or flat, layered clouds. The clouds that form closest to the ground are cumulus or heaped clouds which have a flat base. These clouds too can provide rain.
Wind is air that is moving across the surface of Earth.
It is caused by the movement of the air masses in the lower levels of the atmosphere. Trade winds are strong, steady winds named because, through the ages, they have helped merchant ships move across the oceans. These winds blow from east to west and push on the waters of the oceans as they blow across their surface. The friction of the moving air across the water sets ocean currents in motion and keeps them moving in the direction of the wind. Most years trade winds blow steadily from South America and west across the Pacific pushing surface coastal waters westward.