An upslope wind that develops during the day as a mountainside heats faster than the free air at the same elevation over the adjacent valley, causing the warmed air along the slope to rise and draw a gentle breeze upward from the valley floor. Anabatic winds typically build through the morning and peak in early afternoon before reversing into a downslope katabatic flow after sunset, a daily cycle well known to glider pilots and mountaineers who plan their routes around it.
Facts
PeriodicityOccurs during the daytime in calm, sunny weather as part of a daily upslope wind cycle. 1 First DescribedThe name derives from the Greek anabatos, the verbal noun of anabainein, meaning moving upward. 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceWarm air over a heated hilltop rises through convection, creating a lower pressure region that draws air up the slope from below. 1 Sources
1. Anabatic wind, Wikipedia
Lead section
These winds typically occur during the daytime in calm sunny weather.
Main content section
The air over the hill top is now warmer than the air at a similar altitude around it and will rise through convection. This creates a lower pressure region into which the air at the bottom of the slope flows, causing the wind.
Introduction
An anabatic wind, from the Greek anabatos, verbal noun of anabainein meaning "moving upward", is a warm wind which blows up a steep slope or mountain side, driven by heating of the slope through insolation.
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