A warm, dry foehn-type wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains across the Canadian Prairies and the American Great Plains, capable of raising surface temperatures by twenty degrees Celsius or more within a matter of hours during winter. Known locally as a "snow eater" for its ability to rapidly melt or sublimate snow cover, a strong Chinook has produced some of the most dramatic recorded temperature swings anywhere, including a 1943 event in Spearfish, South Dakota where the temperature rose 27 degrees Celsius in two minutes.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
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.
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