A drainage wind produced when dense, cold air near a high-elevation surface, such as a glacier, ice sheet or mountain slope, flows downhill under the pull of gravity toward lower ground, gaining speed as it descends through progressively narrower terrain. Katabatic winds reach their most extreme form over Antarctica, where cold air draining off the polar plateau toward the coast has been recorded at sustained speeds well over 150 kilometers per hour in certain coastal valleys, among the strongest surface winds on Earth.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
The Bora of the Adriatic coast is a classic, frequently cited example of a katabatic wind, formed by cold dense air draining downslope under gravity from an elevated plateau.
Demonstrated By
Powerful katabatic winds draining off the polar ice sheet are what keep the McMurdo Dry Valleys free of snow and ice despite their Antarctic latitude.
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