Air temperature, land temperature, water temperature, mountains and geographical locations play critical roles in the behavior of the famous winds of the world.

Windsurfers, kitesurfers and also wave-powered water sports rely on special winds to get quality surf sessions. Consistency and power are important issues when it comes to wind and board sports.

After learning what is wind and how wind is formed, it's important to know what are the best winds in your region for windsurfing, kitesurfing and even riding waves.

With good anemometers, you can easily check the wind speed and air pressure. Cloud types also tell us much about weather patterns, while the Beaufort Wind Force Scale relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land.

Famous winds have their working schedule, too. Some winds blow strong in the morning and fade out during the afternoon.

Other winds have special requirements and will only appear in drastic temperature changes. So, what are the most famous winds of the world?

Abrolhos: a violent squall blowing off the Southeastern coast of Brazil, between May and August.
Alizé: also known as trade wind; blows in the tropics predominantly from the Northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the Southeast in the Southern Hemisphere.
Bora: a gusty wind which blows in the Adriatic Sea, and affects Croatia, Greece, Russia and Turkey during wintertime.
Brickfielder: a hot and dry wind that blows in the desert of Southern Australia, during summer season.
Calima: a dust wind originating in the Sahara which blows through the Canary Islands, in winter.
Cers: a quite violent dry and clear Northwest or North wind affecting the Southwest of France, near the Gulf of Lion.
Chinook: a Katabatic, dry and effective wind that melts snow in the Pacific Northwest of USA and Canada.
Diablo: hot, dry and offshore wind blowing in the San Francisco Bay Area, during spring and fall.
Etesian: strong, dry, north winds of the Aegean Sea which blow from about mid-May to mid-September, hitting Greece and Turkey.
Föhn: a Katabatic, dry mountain wind that can raise the air temperature very quickly over the Alps into Central Europe.
Halny: a type of Föhn wind that blows in Southern Poland and Slovakia; can destroy roofs and cause avalanches.
Hamsin: a dry, hot and dusty local wind blowing in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, between March and May.
Harmattan: a dry and dusty West African trade wind blowing south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea, between November and March; it causes a haze in the sky.
Helm: a strong north-easterly wind which blows in Cumbria, England.
Levante: a warm, east to northeast wind that runs in the Alboran Channel and is funneled through the Strait of Gibraltar; strong Levante winds produce heavy swell.
Mistral: a strong, cold and usually dry regional wind that affects the Southeastern region of France and the entire Mediterranean Sea.
Monsoon: a seasonal reversing wind that bring precipitation to South Asia.
Pampero: a strong squall that occurs over the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, between October and January; brings a considerable drop in temperature, severe rain, thunderstorms and is followed by a cold, dry, gusty wind.
Santa Ana: a hot, dry easterly or northeasterly wind and blows from the pass and river valley of Santa Ana, in Southern California; very common in Los Angeles and also known as Sundowner.
Simoom: a suffocating, strong, dry, dust-laden local wind that blows in the Sahara, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria and the deserts of Arabian Peninsula.
Sirocco: a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe.
Tramontana: a cold wind from the north or northeast tinged with frigid air from the Alps and northern Apennines, particularly to the west coast of Italy and Northern Corsica.
Vendaval: a strong, wet and moist south-west wind associated with cyclonic activity across the Iberian Peninsula; blows during the wet winter season, from November to April and comes with violent squalls and thunder.
Zonda: a hot wind of the eastern slopes of the Andes, in central Argentina; starts during the afternoon, between May and November.