Abstract: The electrical and mechanical characteristics of the wire-to-plate surface dielectric barrier discharge and the induced ionic wind are investigated experimentally. The different temporal behaviors in positive and negative half-cycles are studied by time-resolved images. It is shown that the discharge and the light emission are generally stronger in the positive half cycle. The discharge is inhomogeneous and propagates in streamer mode; however, in the negative half-cycle, the discharge appears visually uniformly and operates in the diffuse mode. The surface discharge can produce ionic wind about several m/s above the dielectric surface. There exists an optimal width of the grounded electrode to produce a larger plasma area or active wind region. Increasing of the applied voltage or normalized dielectric constant leads to a larger wind velocity. The performance of ionic wind on flow control is visualized by employing a smoke stream.