The easterlies commonly refer to the low latitude trade winds near the equator . These winds carry tropical waves and cyclones from east to west in lower latitudes. They are a part of the system of Hadley Cell

Hadley cell

The Hadley cell, named after George Hadley, is a circulation pattern that dominates the tropical atmosphere, with rising motion near the equator, poleward flow 10–15 kilometers above the surface, descending motion in the subtropics, and equatorward flow near the surface...

s that cover the earth and dominate weather patterns.
In the North Atlantic, they often carry tropical storms into the North American continent, while in the eastern North Pacific they generally carry developing tropical cyclones away from the continent .