northerly

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

north·​er·​ly ˈnȯr-t͟hər-lē 

1

: situated toward or belonging to the north

the northerly border

2

: coming from the north

a northerly wind

northerly

2 of 2

noun

plural northerlies

: a wind from the north

Examples of northerly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective or adverb

The gusty northerly winds were generated in the wake of a trough of low pressure that moved through Northern California on Tuesday, the weather service said. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2023

Keep reading for the forecast into the weekend… Tomorrow (Tuesday): Sunshine and northerly breezes increase a bit as the day wears on, after a few early clouds. —A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2023

Winds from the backside of Idalia - a tropical cyclone that was expected to become hurricane - could fuel the fires midweek as relative humidity dips and the storm could send drier, northerly winds across the area. —Amudalat Ajasa, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Aug. 2023

Breezy northerly winds + low humidity will lead to critical fire weather conditions in the warning area. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023

But a Northwest Incident fire team spokesperson says helicopter and drone crews took advantage of northerly winds Wednesday to visually map the fire, and don’t believe it’s crossed the county line into Josephine yet. —oregonlive, 24 Aug. 2023

Canada’s northerly expanse offers a competitive advantage in weathering the future. —Jen Skerritt, Bloomberg.com, 11 Feb. 2023

But, uh, lots of cold fronts have happened this year with northerly winds and that [00:24:00] brought Canadian wildfire smoke to our area. —Staff Reports, cleveland, 11 Aug. 2023

If a Canadian person is friends with someone who lives in Kansas and that Kansan shares a link on Facebook to, say, this Verge article, their northerly friend won’t be able to view it. —Wes Davis, The Verge, 1 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective or adverb

north entry 3 + -erly (as in easterly)

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

circa 1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1895, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

northerly

1 of 2 adjective or adverb

north·​er·​ly ˈnȯr-t͟hər-lē 

1

: placed or lying toward the north

the northerly border

2

: coming from the north

a northerly wind

northerly

2 of 2 noun

plural northerlies

: a wind from the north