Chinook,
Santa Ana and Katabatic winds are those that flow downslope in response to the
distribution of high- and low-pressure systems over and near large mountain
areas, where compressing of descending air leads to adiabatic warming.
Chinook winds, off the eastern
slopes of the Rocky Mountains in North America, form due to air flowing across
the range. Low-pressure systems east of the mountains cause strong winds to
descend the eastern slopes. Although, sometimes the presence of a large mass of
cold, dense air near the base of the mountain range may prevent a chinook from
flowing all the way down the slope.
Santa Ana
winds, contrary to what people believe, occur in response to a large area of
high-pressure which descends toward lower elevations and warms by compression
causing air to flow out of the Rockies, they are not warm because they pass
over hot desert surfaces. When Santa Ana’s develop, the combination of hot, dry
winds, low humidity, and an abundant source of fuel can set the stage for an extensive
fire that destroys a great deal of land or property.
Katabatic
winds, on the other hand, originate when air is locally chilled over a
high-elevation plateau, where the air becomes dense due to its low temperature
and flow downslope. These very strong gusts and lulls of winds cover much of
coastal Antarctica and Greenland. They also flow out of the Balkan Mountains
towards the Adriatic coast, where they are called boras; whereas, in France, they flow out of the Alps into the
Rhone River Valley and are called mistrals.
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