Which one of the following is a cold local wind?

Correct — C, Mistral. The Mistral is a cold, dry, gusty north-westerly wind that funnels down the Rhone valley of southern France to the Gulf of Lion on the Mediterranean, sharply lowering temperatures. Santa Ana, Chinook and Loo are all warm or hot local winds.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Santa Ana — The Santa Ana is a hot, dry wind blowing from the interior deserts towards the coast of southern California; it is warm, not cold.
• (b)
  Chinook — The Chinook is a warm, dry 'snow-eater' wind that descends the leeward (eastern) slopes of the Rocky Mountains, raising temperatures.
• (d)
  Loo — The Loo is a hot, dry afternoon wind of the north Indian plains in summer — notoriously warm, not cold.

Local winds are named regional winds with distinctive temperature and moisture. Some are warm (the Chinook and Foehn descending leeward mountain slopes; the Santa Ana off Californian deserts; the Loo over north India; the Sirocco off the Sahara). Others are cold (the Mistral and Bora, which drain cold air off high ground toward the Mediterranean).

Key facts

• The Mistral is a cold, dry north-westerly wind of southern France, reaching the Gulf of Lion.
• Chinook (Rockies) and Foehn (Alps) are warm, dry leeward-slope winds.
• Santa Ana (California) and Loo (north India) are hot, dry winds.
• The Bora, on the Adriatic coast, is another cold local wind like the Mistral.

Common traps

• Mixing up warm Foehn/Chinook winds with cold Mistral/Bora winds.
• Assuming a European wind must be mild — the Mistral is distinctly cold.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The warm, dry wind that descends the leeward slopes of the Rocky Mountains is the

  • (a)Mistral
  • (b)Chinook
  • (c)Bora
  • (d)Loo
  Answer(b) Chinook — a warm 'snow-eater' wind.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which one of the following is a hot local wind of the north Indian plains in summer?

  • (a)Bora
  • (b)Mistral
  • (c)Loo
  • (d)Chinook
  Answer(c) Loo — a hot, dry afternoon wind.