Other Winds of Note

Most Americans are familiar with the dry Santa Ana winds of Southern California. They result from the buildup of air pressure in the high-altitude Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. When upper level winds are favorable, this high altitude air mass spills out of the Great Basin and is propelled gravitationally towards the southern California coastline, generally as a northeasterly wind.

Hear are some other famous wind patterns from around the world:

• Chinook - Dry, warm westerly wind of the North American Rocky Mountains.
• Pampero - Northwesterly summer wind of the Andes.
• Puna - Violent winds of the Peruvian Puna district which last for four months.
• Samiel - Suffocating, sand-laden wind of the Sahara and Arabian deserts.
• Bora - Violent and bitter winter wind on the Adriatic Sea.
• Helm - Cold, northeasterly wind in the Vale of Eden.
• Harmattan - Violent and very dry winter wind of the African interior.
• Bise - cold north Alpine wind.
• Williwaw - Violent cold seaward wind associated with the Straits of Magellan.
• Samoor - The south wind of Persia, which ‘softens the strings of lutes’.