A condition that exists when the distribution of winds within a given area is such that there is a net horizontal flow of air outward from the region.

In divergence at lower levels, the resulting movement of air away from the surface is compensated for by subsidence of air from aloft. The air is heated and the relative humidity is lowered, making divergence a warming and drying process. Low-level divergent regions are areas in which clouds and precipitation are unlikely to form. Divergence is the opposite of convergence.