southerly

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

south·​er·​ly ˈsə-t͟hər-lē How to pronounce southerly (audio)
1
: situated toward or belonging to the south
the southerly shore of the lake
2
: coming from the south
a southerly wind

southerly

2 of 2

noun

plural southerlies
: a wind from the south

Examples of southerly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective or adverb
Strong southerly wind gusts up to 50 mph are expected. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2024 Warm, but gusty southerly winds will increase this afternoon and evening. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Feb. 2024 For such storms to make landfall over California, Rhome said, certain weather conditions must align to pull them north — as happened with the high pressure system over the central U.S., which had a strong southerly flow that helped spin Hilary north, and fast. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023 Strong and gusty southerly winds will develop through the day and into tonight. Austin Turner, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024 We are set to approach and top 70 as warm southerly winds persist. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024 Confidence: Medium Thursday looks like a rainy day but southerly winds surging northward push highs to near 60 degrees. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024 The sun shone brightly, and a gusty southerly wind had warmed the Chicago suburbs into the mid-70s. Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 22 May 2023 The clockwise air flow around the high will turn our cooler north winds into warmer southerly winds, which will help our temperatures rise into the upper 60s to nearly 70 degrees. Mary Wasson, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Dec. 2023
Noun
If southerly breezes kick up a bit during the early morning hours, warmest spots may hover in the upper 40s. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022 A couple of afternoon southerly breezes could gust around 15 mph. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2022 Evening southerly breezes, which may gust a couple of times near 20 mph, should calm fairly quickly as the night progresses. Washington Post, 23 Apr. 2022 Very light southerly breezes are helping to bring in milder, moister air. Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2022 Light southerly winds coupled with overcast skies have kept overnight temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s through the metro area. oregonlive, 2 Feb. 2022 Light southerly breezes will increase a tad during the afternoon, as a few clouds show up nearer sunset. Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2022 Strong southerly winds could pound the beaches early in the day with gusts in the 50-60 mph range. oregonlive, 9 Dec. 2021 Light southerly breezes could occasionally gust near 15 mph. Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'southerly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective or adverb

south entry 3 + -erly (as in easterly)

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of southerly was in 1550

Dictionary Entries Near southerly

Cite this Entry

“Southerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southerly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

southerly

adverb or adjective
south·​er·​ly
ˈsət͟h-ər-lē
1
: toward the south
2
: coming from the south

More from Merriam-Webster on southerly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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