A hot, dry, dust-laden southerly wind that blows across Egypt and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, typically in spring, as a low-pressure system moving eastward draws hot air northward out of the Sahara. A khamsin episode can raise temperatures dramatically within hours and reduce visibility to near zero under blowing sand, and the name itself, Arabic for "fifty," refers to the roughly fifty-day span of the spring season during which such windstorms are most frequent.
Facts
PeriodicityRarely occurs more than once a week and lasts only a few hours at a time, usually in spring. 1 ScaleWind speeds can reach up to 140 km/h. 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceCan raise temperatures by as much as 20 degrees Celsius within two hours. 1 Sources
1. Khamsin, Wikipedia
Characteristics section
It is believed to blow "at intervals for about 50 days", although it rarely occurs "more than once a week and lasts for just a few hours at a time".
Lead section
speed up to 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph; 76 knots)
Egypt, Characteristics section [distinguishing-appearance]
rise of temperatures as much as 20 °C (36 °F) in two hours
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