Sirocco ( ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ...

that comes from the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

and can reach

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...

speeds in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alb ...

, especially during the summer season.

Names

''Sirocco'' derives from '' šurūq'' (),

verbal noun A verbal noun or gerundial noun is a verb form that functions as a noun. An example of a verbal noun in English is 'sacking' as in the sentence "The sacking of the city was an epochal event" (''sacking'' is a noun formed from the verb ''sack''). ...

of '' šaraqa'', related to the East, ''aš-šarq''. Various names for this wind in other languages include: * it, scirocco * scn, sciroccu * es, siroco * ca, xaloc * mt, xlokk * oc, siròc or * el, σορόκος, sorókos, or romanized: sirókos * sq, Jugu (south) * hr, jugo, lit=southern, or rarely ''širok'' * lij, sciöco or *

Libyan Arabic Libyan Arabic ( ar, ليبي, Lībī) is a variety of Arabic spoken mainly in Libya, and neighboring countries. It can be divided into two major dialect areas; the eastern centred in Benghazi and Bayda, and the western centred in Tripoli and M ...

: , romanized: , which means 'coming from the

Qibla The qibla ( ar, قِبْلَة, links=no, lit=direction, translit=qiblah) is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the ...

' * arz, خمسين, Ḫamsīn, which means 'fifty' ('fifty-day wind') * aeb, شلوق, šlūq, probably from with the same meaning as ; or * ary, شرقي, lit=eastern, šarquiyy, pronounced širguī

Development

Siroccos arise from warm, dry, tropical air masses that are pulled northward by low-pressure cells moving eastward across the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

, with the wind originating in the Arabian or Sahara

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

s. The hotter, drier continental air mixes with the cooler, wetter air of the maritime

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an an ...

, and the counter-clockwise circulation of the low propels the mixed air across the southern coasts of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Effects

The sirocco causes dusty dry conditions along the northern coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and warm wet weather in Southern Europe. Sirocco doesn't affect other parts of Europe. The sirocco's duration may be as short as half a day or may last several days. While passing over the Mediterranean Sea, the sirocco picks up moisture; this results in rainfall in the southern part of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, known locally as "blood rain" due to the red sand mixed with the falling rain. Sirocco is commonly perceived as causing unease and an irritable mood in people. In addition, many people attribute health problems to the wind, either because of the heat and dust brought from African coastal regions, or because of the cool dampness further north in Europe. The dust within the sirocco winds can cause abrasion in mechanical devices and penetrate buildings. Sirocco winds with speeds of up to are most common during autumn and spring. They reach a peak in March and in November when it is very hot. When combined with a rising tide, the sirocco can cause the ''

acqua alta (, ; ) is the term used in Veneto, Italy for the exceptional tide peaks that occur periodically in the northern Adriatic Sea. The peaks reach their maximum in the Venetian Lagoon, where they cause partial flooding of Venice and Chioggia; flood ...

'' phenomenon in the Venetian Lagoon. This wind also has an impact on fishing. For example, the anchovies caught in the Gulf of Trieste near Barcola, which are in great demand as a delicacy, are only caught in Sirocco. In cold winds, like the bora, the fish disappear into the vastness of the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...

.Georges Desrues "Eine Lange Nacht am Meer", In: Triest - Servus Magazin (2020), p 73.

References

External links

Winds of the worldLocal Mediterranean winds
* {{Authority control Winds Environment of the Mediterranean Sahara Climate of Africa Climate of Europe Climate of Greece Climate of Malta Environment of Libya Italian words and phrases

Names

Development

Effects

See also

References

External links