1. Encountered generally especially at the present time; SYN. prevalent, rife.
2. Most frequent or common; SYN. predominant.

Množina: prevailing winds

The predominant wind direction.
The direction from which the wind most commonly blows in a locality. In NW Europe, for example, the prevailing wind is southwesterly, blowing from the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest and bringing moist and warm conditions.