TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

DERECHO [1 record]

Record 1 2022-05-24

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric, Climatic and Meteorological Phenomena
DEF

A damaging straight-line wind (i.e. one not associated with rotation as in a tornado), produced by organized downdraughts such as those found in a squall line or mesoscale convective system.

CONT

A derecho can be as destructive as a tornado, but it is destructive in a decidedly different way. The strong, swirling winds of a tornado will cause debris to fall every which way, while a derecho's straight-line winds are similar to a regular thunderstorm—but stronger.

OBS

derecho: The term derecho derives from a Spanish word that can be interpreted as "straight ahead" or "direct" and was chosen to discriminate between wind damage caused by tornadoes, which have rotating flow, from straight-line winds.

Key term(s)
  • plough wind

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phénomènes météorologiques, climatiques et atmosphériques
CONT

Le derecho est une tempête de vent qui se déplace rapidement et couvrant une large superficie. Elle est également associée à une ligne d'orages violents ayant la forme d'un arc de cercle.

OBS

Un tel phénomène peut produire des dommages semblables à ceux d'une tornade, mais la principale différence réside dans le fait que les vents associés à un derecho soufflent dans la même direction. Les dégâts suivent donc une ligne relativement droite, de manière générale.

Spanish

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