The atmospheric circulation cell between about 30° and 60° latitude in each hemisphere is the Ferrel cell.
The Ferrel cell is part of the idealized three-cell model of global atmospheric circulation. In the Northern Hemisphere, surface air generally moves poleward from the subtropical high-pressure belt and is deflected eastward, producing the prevailing westerlies. Air rises near the subpolar low-pressure zone and returns aloft toward the subtropics.
Unlike the Hadley and Polar cells, the Ferrel cell is not driven as directly by heating at its boundaries. It is often described as an indirect cell because its average circulation is strongly shaped by mid-latitude weather systems, including migrating cyclones and anticyclones.
The three-cell model is a useful simplification, not a complete picture of real weather. Jet streams, continents, mountains, ocean temperatures, and seasonal changes disrupt the idealized pattern. The Ferrel cell also helps explain why many mid-latitude regions experience frequent changes in weather as fronts and low-pressure systems pass.