Welsh 
Local winds around the world
As well as local winds and local weather phenomena, this list includes seasonal winds with local names
Bise
A cold dry wind which blows from the north-east, north or north-west in the mountainous regions of south-eastern France and western Switzerland in winter months. Unlike the mistral, which also occurs in southern France, the bise is accompanied by heavy cloud.
Bora
Crachin
The name given to the drizzly weather with low stratus, mist or fog which occurs from time to time during the period January to April over the China Sea and in coastal areas between Shanghai and Cape Cambodia. It occurs when cool, moist air from the north encounters warm, moist air, and it is intensified by orographic lifting and/or by coastal convergence.
Etesians
The strong northerly winds which blow at times over the Aegean Sea and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea during the period May to October. The winds are known as meltemi in Turkey.
Föhn
Click here.Gregale (or grigale)
A notorious wind of the western Mediterranean which also blows across central parts of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a strong and cold wind from the north-east and occurs mainly in winter. It is most pronounced on the island of Malta, where it sometimes reaches hurricane force and endangers shipping. Other names for the wind are euroclydon and euraquilo.
The Bible tells us that the ship which carried St Paul and other prisoners across the Mediterranean en route to Rome was driven by a storm from Crete to Malta, where it was eventually wrecked.
The ship set sail from a bay called Fair Havens near Lasea on the south coast of Crete, having put into this bay to wait for favourable conditions after being delayed by contrary winds. As the bay was exposed to storms, it was not considered a safe place to remain at the time of year in question, which was either late September or early October. The harbour at Phoenix on the south-western coast of Crete was considered a safer place to spend the winter. Soon after the ship left Fair Havens, however, a severe gale began to blow. So violent was the storm that the sailors could do no more than drift with the wind. The Bible tells us that the ship reached Malta fourteen days later.
Paul experienced a gregale. As these winds normally last no more than four or five days, the storm he experienced appears to have been unusually persistent.
Harmattan
A dry and comparatively cool wind which blows from the east or north-east on the coast of North Africa between Cabo Verde and the Gulf of Guinea during the dry season (November to March). It brings dust and sand from the Sahara Desert, often in sufficient quantity to form a thick haze which hinders navigation on rivers. Dust and sand are sometimes carried many hundreds of kilometres out to sea.
Kaus
The name given to the south-easterly winds which prevail in winter (December to April) in the Persian Gulf. They are accompanied by gloomy weather, rain and squalls and are sometimes followed by very strong south-westerly winds called suahili.
Khamsin
A hot, dry, dust-laden, southerly wind over Egypt, the Red Sea and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea ahead of eastward-moving depressions. It occurs during the period February to June, being most frequent in March and April.
Kharif
A strong south-westerly wind which blows daily over the Gulf of Aden from about 22:00 hours Local Time until about noon the following day. It occurs in June, July and August (during the south-west monsoon) and frequently reaches gale force.
Leste
A hot, dry, southerly wind which occurs in winter and spring between Madeira and Gibraltar and along the coast of North Africa ahead of an advancing depression.
Levanter
A moist wind which blows from the east over the Strait of Gibraltar. It is frequently accompanied by haze or fog and may occur at any time of year, though it is most common in the period June to October. A feature is the occurrence of a'banner cloud' extending a kilometre or more downwind from the summit of the Rock of Gibraltar. The strength of the Levanter does not normally exceed Beaufort Force 5. When it is strong, however, complex and vigorous atmospheric eddies form in the lee of the Rock, causing difficult conditions for yachtsmen and the pilots of aircraft. The levanter can also cause persistently foggy weather on the coast of Spain.
Leveche
A hot, dry, southerly wind which blows on the south-east coast of Spain ahead of an advancing depression. It is typically laden with sand and dust, and its approach is often heralded by a belt of brownish cloud on the southern horizon.
Libeccio
A strong, squally, south-westerly wind which occurs over central parts of the Mediterranean Sea, most commonly in winter.
Maestro
The name given to north-westerly winds over the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea and coastal regions of Sardinia and Corsica.
Marin
A strong south-easterly wind over the Golfe du Lion. It is usually accompanied by warm, cloudy weather with rain.
Mistral
Norther
This name is used in more than one locality.
In Chile, a norther is a northerly gale with
rain. It usually occurs in winter but occasionally occurs at other times
of year. Typically, it is heralded by falling barometric pressure, a cloudy
or overcast sky, good visibility, a swell from the north and water levels
below normal along the coast.
Over the Gulf of Mexico and western parts of
the Caribbean Sea, northers are strong, cool, northerly winds which blow
mainly in winter. Over the Gulf of Mexico, they are sometimes humid and
accompanied by precipitation, but over the Gulf of Tehuantepec they are
dry winds.
Pampero
The name given to severe line squalls in Argentina and Uruguay, particularly in the Rio de la Plata area. They are associated with marked cold fronts and are usually accompanied by rain, thunder and lightning, a sharp drop in temperature and a sudden change of wind direction from northerly or north-westerly to southerly or south-westerly. They are most likely to occur during the period June to September.
Santa Ana
A hot, dry, strong, blustery, föhn-type wind which blows from the north-east or east over southern California and carries with it large quantities of dust. It is most frequent in winter but may also occur in spring or autumn. It may get its name from the Santa Ana Mountains or the Santa Ana Canyon but other possibilities are that it derives from santanas, meaning 'devil winds', or the Spanish Satanás, meaning Satan. These winds can cause a great deal of damage. As they are hot and dry, they cause vegetation to dry out, so increasing the risk of wildfires; and once fires start the winds fan the flames and hasten the spread of the fires. In spring, Santa Ana winds can cause considerable damage to fruit trees.
Scirocco
The name given to southerly winds over the Mediterranean Sea. When over the African coast, the winds are hot, dry and oppressive. As they pass over the sea, however, they are moistened. Accordingly, they reach the coasts of Europe as warm, humid winds, often with fog or low stratus cloud. They produce languor and mental debility.
Shamal
Strictly, the shamal is any north-westerly wind over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, but the term usually refers not to the normal prevailing winds but to the squally gale-force winds accompanied by rain and thunder which occur in winter.
Solano
An easterly or south-easterly wind, with rain, which occurs in the Strait of Gibraltar and over south-eastern coasts of Spain.
Southerly buster
The name given to the violent squalls which are associated with well-defined active cold fronts over coastal regions of southern and south-eastern Australia. They are accompanied by lightning, thunder and gale-force winds and are similar to pamperos. They are most frequent in summer but may also occur in spring and autumn.
Suahili
Sumatra
These are characteristically squally local winds which occur over the Malacca Strait several times a month during the period April to November. They are always accompanied by heavy rain from cumulonimbus clouds and are almost always accompanied by lightning and thunder. They are initiated by katabatic winds and therefore tend to occur at night.
Tehuantepecer
A violent squally wind from the north or north-east in the Gulf of Tehuantepec in winter. It originates in the Gulf of Mexico as a norther and blows across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Tramontana
A cold, dry, northerly or north-westerly wind over the coast of Catolina and a cold, dry northerly or north-easterly wind over the west coast of Italy and the north coast of Corsica. It is typically a strong wind but does not often reach gale force.
Vendavales
Strong, squally, south-westerly winds off the east coast of Spain and in the Strait of Gibraltar. They occur mainly during the period September to March and are often accompanied by violent squalls, heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Willy-Willy
It is stated in some books that a willy-willy is a tropical cyclone over north-west Australia. This is not correct. A willy-willy is a dust storm over north-west Australia.
Zonda
This term applies to two different phenomena.
It usually refers to a dry and often dusty föhn wind
that occurs over the eastern slopes of the Andes in central Argentina in
winter months.
It is also the name (or sondo)
given to a hot, humid, northerly wind over the Pampas region of South America
in advance of an eastward-moving depression and preceding a pampero occurrence.