Winds of the World Trivia Quiz

The Elephanta wind, which has a name meaning elephant, blows on to the southwestern coast of India, especially the area known as the Malabar Coast. The wind occurs during September and October and marks the start of the dry season following the southwest monsoon period.

The Sirocco wind comes from the Sahara and affects the northern coast of Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and Southern Europe. The wind starts as warm and dry and contains sand and dust from the Sahara desert, the dry wind then picks up moisture as it passes over the Mediterranean and this can lead to rain falling that deposits Saharan dust on surfaces in Europe.

The Buran wind blows in the area of Iran, the Xinjiang province of China, Kazakhstan and Siberia in Russia. The wind blows throughout the year but changes character according to the season. In the summer the wind is hot and dry and can create sandstorms while in winter the wind is very cold and often accompanies snow creating severe blizzard conditions. Buran, named after the wind, was used as the name of the Soviet program to develop a space craft similar to that of NASA's Space Shuttle.

The Mistral is a wind found in the south of France which blows into the Gulf of Lion in the Mediterranean Sea. The wind is very strong with speeds averaging 31 miles per hour, often sustained for several days at a time. The Mistral can occur at any time but it is most common in winter and spring and can be particularly strong during the change between these two seasons.

The Chinook winds affect both the Pacific northwest coast of North America and the interior area of the continent in the area of the Great Plains and the Canadian Prairies. The coastal Chinooks are warm, damp winds which blow from the ocean bringing significant precipitation to coastal areas.

The interior Chinooks are a type of Foehn wind. These are winds which occur on downslopes of mountain ranges and are usually dry winds as moisture has been lost from the wind in the form of rain on the upward slope of the mountain range. Sometimes these interior Chinooks are a result of coastal Chinooks that have lost their moisture but the term has become more widely used for Foehn winds in this area regardless as to whether they started as coastal Chinooks or not.

The Harmattan is a north easterly wind in West Africa which blows from the Sahara desert towards the Gulf of Guinea. The wind is a dry wind containing dust from the Sahara and occurs during the dry season. Because of the dust in the air caused by the wind it can create a haze which severely affects visibility.

The wind brings with it desert like weather conditions with very dry air and severe fluctuations in temperature between night and day.

The Santa Ana winds are winds that affect southern California in the USA and the state of Baja California in Mexico. They are most common in autumn but can occur at other times of year. The winds bring hot, dry weather which creates ideal conditions for wildfires to start and the high winds can help fan and spread these fires.

The Pampero is a wind which blows cold, polar air from Antarctica in the pampas region of South America which covers areas in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. The wind occurs most often in the winter months between May and August.

The Berg wind, which takes its name from the Afrikaans word 'berg' meaning mountain, is a wind that blows off shore along the coast of South Africa and Namibia in southern Africa. The wind is a type of katabatic wind which is a wind that brings high pressure air from a higher elevation down a slope.

The Freemantle Doctor is a wind that blows from the ocean onto the south west coastal areas of the state of Western Australia, particularly in the area around Perth and the city of Freemantle after which the wind is named. It is referred to as 'doctor' because the cooler breeze brings relief from the hot summer weather.