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Glite Dictionary
foehn

foehn

1 9.9
A warm, dry wind that blows down mountain slopes and makes the air warmer and drier
  • noun
  • /feɪn/
  • Specialized
: foehn
  • It's a foehn moving in.

Examples

  • What's a foehn?

    The Eiger Sanction (1975)

  • The warm foehn caused the temperature in the valley to rise significantly yesterday.

  • During the foehn period, the air became noticeably dry and warm on the mountains.

  • Residents often complain about headaches when a foehn blows down from the Alps.

Synonyms

chinook
vsfoehn
  • US
1 7.7

A warm dry wind that blows down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

occurs on Alpine slopes rather than in North American mountains
Chinook wind
vsfoehn
  • US
1 8.2

A warm dry wind that blows down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and quickly raises temperature

blows down northern Alpine slopes and causes warming with drying
fohn
vsfoehn
  • UK
1 9.9

A warm, dry wind that blows down mountain slopes and raises the temperature

is the same wind but written with the other spelling

Surface Forms

foehn singular
foehns plural

Etymology

Foehn comes from German and before that from the Latin name Favonius, which was used for a warm west wind. Think of it as a 'favouring' wind that blows down mountain slopes and brings warm, dry air, which is why a foehn quickly raises temperature and lowers humidity.