HIGHS & LOWS
TROPICAL SO-PAC WEATHER EXPLAINED
This weather model applies nicely for the North Atlantic, where the Azores High (or Bermuda-Azores High) behaves really well, ie; it is big and fairly permanent. Therefore, the trade winds in the Atlantic are generally stable and reliable. For the South Pacific, the model does not quite apply so nicely – the Pacific Ocean is simply too big.
Instead of a single ridge in the subtropics, there are (at least) two highs: in the east lies the South-Pacific High with its centre typically close to Easter Island and the other is the Kermadec High further west, closer to New Zealand.
Like the Azores High, the South-Pacific High is quite permanent. Consequently, steady trade winds prevail in the eastern South
