A warm, dry downslope wind that forms on the leeward side of a mountain range when moist air is forced to rise on the windward side, cooling and losing most of its moisture as precipitation, then descending the far slope and warming rapidly through compression. The effect can raise temperatures by many degrees within minutes and is best known from the European Alps, where it lends its name, Foehn, to the broader category of similar winds found on leeward mountain slopes worldwide.
Facts
ScaleFoehn winds can raise temperatures by as much as 14 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit) within a matter of hours 1 First DescribedName derives from Latin ventus favonius, a mild west wind personified as the Roman god Favonius 1 Connections
Associated With
The rapid temperature rise and snowmelt a foehn wind brings on its lee-side descent is a well-documented direct trigger of wet-snow avalanches in mountain regions.
The Chinook wind of North America's Rocky Mountains is the regional name for the same foehn effect: a warm, dry, adiabatically heated wind descending a mountain's lee slope.
Sources
1. Foehn wind, Wikipedia
Introduction
Foehn winds can raise temperatures by as much as 14 °C (25 °F) in just a matter of hours.
Etymology section
Originating from Latin (ventus) favonius, a mild west wind of which Favonius was the Roman personification
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