From Ukraine to Gaza
The Sirocco is a hot, dry, dust-laden wind that whips up over North Africa.
As it gains momentum, the Sirocco sweeps northwards over the Mediterranean Sea to affect places like Malta, Italy, and Sicily. The wind sometimes brings with it precipitation, a "blood rain" so-called because of the fallout of red desert sand mixed with water droplets.
The Mistral is a cold, dry, northwest wind that funnels along the lower Rhône river valley in France towards the Mediterranean coast, from northeastern Spain to northwestern Italy.
Mistrals are considered the most dangerous of all Mediterranean winds because of their high speeds and persistence.
A Foehn occurs wherever strong winds sweep across mountain ranges. A type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind, this type of weather phenomenon can raise temperatures by as much as 25°F (14°C) in just a matter of hours.
Countries and regions around the world most affected by foehn winds include Switzerland, southern Germany, and Austria.
Haboobs can occur elsewhere in the world. In fact, anywhere in dry land regions, including the Southwestern United States.
Sources: (Golden Gate Weather Services) (Britannica)
A haboob is an immensely strong wind that occurs primarily along the southern edges of the Sahara in Sudan. As a result, haboobs are associated with large sandstorms and dust storms.
Chinook winds are warm, dry, generally westerly winds that occur in western North America. They can cause extreme increases in temperatures within a few hours.
"Chinook" originates from the name of the eponymous Chinook Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. An approaching Chinook announces itself as an enormous cloud with a sharp western (upwards) edge known as an arch.
The Bora is a cold and typically very dry and often gusty fall wind that occurs in areas near the Adriatic Sea.
Flowing from the Balkan Plateau down to the Adriatic, the Bora can rush down elevated slopes at hurricane speeds to whip seas into a frenzy of white caps and foam.
Egypt and the Levant are often battered by the Khamsin, a dry, hot, sandy local wind that originates in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Dreadfully oppressive and blinding, the Khamsin can sometimes blow for up to 50 days (Khamsin is the Arabic word for "fifty"), disrupting travel and causing all sort of health issues, particularly respiratory problems.
Unique to Switzerland, the Bise is a cold, dry wind that sweeps through the Swiss Plateau and is fierce enough to turn the normally placid waters of Lake Geneva into a bubbling cauldron.
In summer, the Bise wind causes rather dry and sunny weather. In winter, however, the wind often brings with it severe icing.
The aptly named Diablo is a hot, dry wind that circulates in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California in the spring and fall. In extreme cases wind speeds can exceed 60 mph (96 km/h), velocity that in the past has caused power lines to topple and spark, causing fires.
In fact, the Diablo is at its most dangerous when it squeezes through canyons and gaps of the coastal mountain ranges, dramatically increasing wind speed and the potential for fueling wildfires.
The Levant, or Levante, is a powerful easterly wind that blows in the western Mediterranean Sea to affect the southern coasts of Spain and France in spring and fall.
A mild, damp, and rainy weather phenomenon, the Levant is at its most visually dramatic when resulting cloud and fog shrouds the Rock of Gibraltar.
A willy-willy is the quirky nickname given by Australians to dust devils: dust-filled vortexes that characteristically spiral upwards from arid and semi-arid environments.
Willy-willies, also called whirly winds, are relatively compact and short-lived but can on occasion reach over a 1,000 feet (304 m), large enough to pose a threat to both people and property.
A Chubasco is the name given by those living in places like Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama to a violent, windy squall emboldened with thunder and lightning.
Chubascos are typically encountered during the rainy season along the west coast of Central America.
Residents of Southcentral Alaska, places like Anchorage and Palmer, are frequently battered by what's known as the Knik.
The Knik is a strong southeasterly wind that is at its most malign during the cold winter months.
This often violent wind generally brings with it a tempest that can last for days, the wind speed plunging temperatures to a bone-chilling level.
The Pampero is a burst of extremely dry and very cold polar air that blasts its way across the pampas in the south of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
The Tramontane is a violent and powerful cold wind ubiquitous across the Mediterranean and parts of the Adriatic Sea.
France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Slovenia all have their own names for this particular weather phenomenon, which forms when an area of high pressure meets an area of low pressure, in this case the Italian Alps.
Just as meteorologists christen storms, certain winds are known by a variety of names. In fact, an assortment of gales, gusts, and squalls have been ascribed a host of wonderfully evocative labels, with some sounding rather amusing, while others are quite sinister in connotation. All have meaning though, and help pinpoint this particular weather phenomenon across the globe. So, do you know your Bise from your Pampero?
Click on and breeze through this list of names given to different types of winds.
The curious names given to the different types of wind
This weather phenomenon goes by a variety of descriptions
LIFESTYLE Climate
Just as meteorologists christen storms, certain winds are known by a variety of names. In fact, an assortment of gales, gusts, and squalls have been ascribed a host of wonderfully evocative labels, with some sounding rather amusing, while others are quite sinister in connotation. All have meaning though, and help pinpoint this particular weather phenomenon across the globe. So, do you know your Bise from your Pampero?
Click on and breeze through this list of names given to different types of winds.