Buzz
Air molecules are constantly moving around us. When we feel this movement, we call it wind. To get more precise about the windy conditions, we can talk about mild breezes or zephyrs, or strong gusts and gales. But specialists in geography and climatology have a special set of terms to describe even more specific details about those air molecules and their origins. Here are 21 unique terms for wind.
1. Bise
A dry wind originating from the north or northeast, channeled over the Alps into southern France and Switzerland due to differences in air pressure.
2. Mistral
A chilly wind that sweeps across the northwest Mediterranean coast, funneled through the Rhône valley due to differences in air pressure.
3. Bora
A powerful, cold, and dry wind that blows along the Adriatic Sea and northern Italy, occurring when there is high pressure over the Balkans and low pressure over the Mediterranean.
4. Brickfielder
A summer breeze in southeastern Australia that carries hot air from the outback to the cooler regions. It is named either for the red dust it once spread over Sydney from local brickworks or because it hardened the soil like bricks.
5. Southerly Buster
A red dust storm in the Australian outback. | Paul Souders/Stone/Getty ImagesA cold wind from the south that follows after the brickfielder.
6. Buran
A powerful northeasterly wind in Siberia and Central Asia that is scorching in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter. It’s referred to as the purga when it crosses the Arctic tundra and the burga in Alaska.
7. Sirocco
A hot, dry, and dusty wind that carries air from the Sahara into northern Africa and Italy. As it travels over the Mediterranean, it absorbs moisture, turning humid; it is driven by a low-pressure band moving east across the southern Mediterranean.
8. Khamseen
The sirocco in Egypt. It’s known as the 'word for 50'; the wind is said to blow for 50 days.
9. Gibli
The sirocco in Libya.
10. Xlokk
The Xarolla windmill in Zurrieq, Malta. | Cavan Images/Getty ImagesThe sirocco in Malta, pronounced 'shlok.'
11. Föhn Wind
A föhn wind moves air up one side of a mountain, where it cools and loses moisture as precipitation, then warms as it descends on the other side of the mountain, compressing as it goes.
12. Chinook Wind
A wind that moves warm air down the Rocky Mountains, rapidly raising temperatures in the valley below. Cattle grazing relies on it as it melts the snow.
13. Moazagoatl
A föhn wind that travels over the Sudeten Mountains into Germany and Poland. The name is believed to derive from a dialectal version of Matz, the surname of a shepherd who first identified its distinct cloud formation in the mountains.
14. Zonda
A föhn wind that blows eastward over the Andes in Argentina.
15. Simoom
A nineteenth-century illustration of a simoom in the Egyptian desert by David Roberts. | duncan1890/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty ImagesA scorching, whirling wind in the Sahara and Arabian Desert that plays a significant role in reshaping dunes, capable of moving massive amounts of sand. Its name comes from the Arabic word for 'poison.'
16. Etesians
The annual strong summer winds in the Aegean Sea, caused by a low-pressure trough in Asia that is part of monsoon storm systems. It is also known as meltemi in Greek and Turkish.
17. Shamal
The summer low-pressure systems in Asia also produce this northwesterly wind in Iraq, stirring up sand and dust.
18. Trade Winds
These winds blow from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisphere, directed towards low-pressure areas along the equator. They are reliable enough to be used for planning trade routes.
19. Tehuantepecer
Strong winds in Central America caused by high pressure over North America. These winds intensify as they pass through mountain gaps, such as the one at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
20. Williwaw
Williwaws are common in the Pacific Northwest. | Robert L. Potts/Design Pics/Getty ImagesA stormy, cold wind that rushes down from the mountains.
21. Willy-Willy
A local swirling wind in Australia that lifts small columns of dirt, also known as dust devils, off the ground.
