Final answer:
Meridional circulation patterns tend to be more stormy due to the increased contrast and mixing of air masses they entail, compared to zonal patterns, which feature more uniform east-west wind flows and tend to be less stormy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Patterns in atmospheric circulation influence weather events, including the propensity for storms. In your question, you are asking about which pattern is more stormy, zonal or meridional. Zonal flows feature east-west oriented wind patterns, which tend to be associated with more straightforward, less stormy weather, while meridional flows involve north-south moving air that can result in more varied and potentially stormy weather patterns. This is due to meridional flows often leading to greater air mass contrast, and therefore, more dynamic weather systems.
When considering planets like Jupiter and Saturn, the presence of strong east-west wind patterns, or jet streams, are a clear example of zonal patterns. These planets exhibit large, oval-shaped, high-pressure regions and alternating jet streams, which demonstrate a zonal pattern. The Coriolis force significantly affects storm systems on Earth, causing them to rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, which contributes to the development of storms in those regions. Also, future precipitation and storm events are likely to change with varying regional and seasonal effects due to global climate patterns.