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SCIROCCO [1 record]

Record 1 2004-05-21

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric Physics
DEF

Hot, humid, southerly winds in southern Italy, Sicily and Malta which originate over the Sahara but gain moisture on crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

OBS

The air comes from the Sahara (as a desert wind) and is dry and dusty, but the term is not used in North Africa, where it is called chom (hot) or arifi (thirsty). In crossing the Mediterranean the sirocco picks up much moisture because of its high temperature, and reaches Malta, Sicily, and southern Italy as a very enervating, hot, humid wind. As it travels northward, it causes fog and rain. In some parts of the Mediterranean region the word may be used for any warm southerly wind, often of foehn type. In the extreme southwest of Greece a warm foehn crossing the coastal mountains is named sirocco di levante. There are a number of local variants of the spelling such as xaroco (Portuguese), jaloque or xaloque (Spanish), xaloc or xaloch (Catalonian). In the Rhône delta the warm rainy southeast sirocco is called eissero. On Zakynthos Island it is called lampaditsa.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Physique de l'atmosphère
DEF

Vent du sud, chaud et humide, dans le sud de l'Italie, en Sicile et à Malte; il provient du Sahara et acquiert de l'humidité en traversant la Méditerranée.

OBS

L'air vient du Sahara comme vent de désert; il est chaud et poussiéreux. En Afrique du Nord, on l'appelle chom (chaud) ou arifi (soif). En traversant la Méditerranée, le sirocco recueille beaucoup d'humidité à cause de sa température élevée et atteint Malte, la Sicile et le sud de l'Italie comme vent humide et chaud. En se mouvant vers le nord, il produit du brouillard et de la pluie. Dans l'extrême sud-ouest de la Grèce un foehn chaud qui traverse les montagnes côtières porte le nom de sirocco di levante. L'appellation du vent diffère suivant les pays. Le sirocco s'appelle xaroco au Portugal, jaloque ou xaloque en Espagne, xaloc ou xaloch en Catalogne. Dans le delta du Rhône, le sirocco pluvieux et chaud est appelé eissero. À l'île de Zakynthos, on l'appelle lampaditsa.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Física de la atmósfera
DEF

En el sur de Italia, Sicilia y Malta, un viento cálido húmedo, procedente del sur; es aire del Sahara que adquiere humedad al cruzar el Mediterráneo.

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