northwesterly
adverb or adjective
north·west·er·ly
nȯr(th)-ˈwe-stər-lē 
1
: from the northwest
2
: toward the northwest
Examples of northwesterly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Behind the cold front, temperatures are expected to plunge very quickly as winds turn to northwesterly and remaining gusty.
—
Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2024
The only sign of our weak pre-dawn cold front having passed through are northwesterly breezes gusting near 20 mph a few times.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2023
Upper level winds will blow southwesterly through the evening, and surface winds will be north/northwesterly keeping the smoke from the Bedrock Fire confined to eastern Lane County and points south and east.
—oregonlive, 31 July 2023
Confidence: Medium-High Sunday: Sunny and calmer with time, as northwesterly gusts near 30 mph early should ease to around 15 mph late in the day.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023
With west-northwesterly breezes occasionally gusting to near 25 mph, wind chills may top out in the mid-30s at best.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2022
The brisk northwesterly winds that have carried the bitterly cold Arctic air have given rise to beautiful cloud formations over the Atlantic Ocean.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2017
Showers are expected to move across the I-4 corridor but will move northwesterly after arriving on the East Coast.
—Garfield Hylton, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Nov. 2022
These western winds are set to expand into the rest of Northern California and the Sacramento Valley starting Friday afternoon, becoming more northwesterly and howling at 35 mph along stretches of San Francisco Bay by Saturday.
—Gerry Díaz, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Oct. 2022
Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2024
The only sign of our weak pre-dawn cold front having passed through are northwesterly breezes gusting near 20 mph a few times.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2023
Upper level winds will blow southwesterly through the evening, and surface winds will be north/northwesterly keeping the smoke from the Bedrock Fire confined to eastern Lane County and points south and east.
—oregonlive, 31 July 2023
Confidence: Medium-High Sunday: Sunny and calmer with time, as northwesterly gusts near 30 mph early should ease to around 15 mph late in the day.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023
With west-northwesterly breezes occasionally gusting to near 25 mph, wind chills may top out in the mid-30s at best.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2022
The brisk northwesterly winds that have carried the bitterly cold Arctic air have given rise to beautiful cloud formations over the Atlantic Ocean.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2017
Showers are expected to move across the I-4 corridor but will move northwesterly after arriving on the East Coast.
—Garfield Hylton, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Nov. 2022
These western winds are set to expand into the rest of Northern California and the Sacramento Valley starting Friday afternoon, becoming more northwesterly and howling at 35 mph along stretches of San Francisco Bay by Saturday.
—Gerry Díaz, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'northwesterly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Northwesterly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/northwesterly. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
northwesterly
adverb or adjective
north·west·er·ly
nȯrth-ˈwes-tər-lē
1
: from the northwest
2
: toward the northwest
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