My Old Sirocco/Scirocco…
or jugo or siroc is the name of the hot Mediterranean wind which comes from the Sahara. In Cataluna it’s the xaloc or leveche.
Development
It arises from a warm, dry, tropical air mass that is pulled northward by low-pressure cells moving eastward across the Mediterranean sea, with the wind originating in the Arabian or Sahara deserts. The hotter, drier continental air mixes with the cooler, wetter air of the maritime cyclone, and the counter-clockwise circulation of the low propels the mixed air across the southern coasts of Europe.
Effects
The Sirocco causes dusty, dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa, storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and cold, wet weather in Europe. The Sirocco’s duration may be a half day or many days. Many people attribute health problems to the Sirocco either because of the heat and dust along the African coastal regions or the cool dampness in Europe. The dust within the Sirocco winds can degrade mechanical devices and invade domiciles.
These winds with speeds of almost 100 kilometres per hour are most common during the autumn and the spring. They reach a peak in March and in November while it is very hot, with a maximum speed of about 100 km/h (55 knots).
Wiki
We are under the influence of this wind now and like all these weather events I love them. The wind is like a hot hair dryer in your face, you need to find shade and cover until sundown when the wind stops and the night comes and it’s cool and warm all at once. Between the star light and a quarter moon the sky is so black it’s blue, this is the time for spotting satellites (or Sputniks as Donna calls them) and shooting stars.
