If you’ve ever found yourself on a Hawaiian beach, sipping a Mai Tai with a constant breeze, you are not only having a great day, but you have felt the trade winds.

Trade winds are steady, persistent winds that blow from east to west in the tropics, roughly between 30 degrees North and 30 degrees South latitude. In the Northern Hemisphere, they blow from the northeast, and in the Southern Hemisphere, from the southeast.

These winds are driven by the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun, and by the planet’s rotation — a process known as the Coriolis effect.

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For centuries, trade winds were essential for sailing ships, helping traders and explorers cross oceans, which is how they got their name. But beyond navigation, they still play a huge role in our modern world.

Trade winds help steer tropical storms and hurricanes across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, influence global ocean currents and even affect weather patterns all over the world.

Trade winds also help regulate the climate by pushing warm surface water across the oceans. For example, during La Niña years, strong trade winds blow warm Pacific water westward toward Asia, allowing cooler water to upwell near South America.

But when these winds weaken, as in El Niño years, this phenomenon can disrupt global weather, having major influences on droughts, floods, and more extreme conditions around the world.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.