Which one of the following is a cold local wind?

The correct answer is Mistral.

• Mistral is a cold and dry strong wind in southern france that blows down from the north along the lower Rhone River valley toward the Mediterranean Sea.

Key Points

• Cold Local Winds:
  • These are dust-laden winds and as they have a temperature below freezing point, they create Cold Wave conditions.
  • Examples of Cold Local winds include Mistral, Bora, Northers, Blizzard, Purga, Lavender, Pampero, Bise, etc.
• Mistral:
  • It is a cold and dry wind that blows in Spain and France from North-west to South-East direction, mostly occur during winter months.
  • Due to the presence of the Rhome River, these winds are channelized into the Rhome valley due to which they become extremely cold.
  • As they pass through the narrow Rhome Valley, they turn into stormy northerly cold winds and their average velocity which is 55-65 km/hr may even reach 128km/hr.
  • Such stormy cold northerly winds cause a sudden drop in temperature to below freezing point.

Additional Information

• Chinook winds:
  • ​These are warm and dry winds blowing on the eastern slopes (leeward side) of the Rocky Mountain.
  • They are the result of adiabatic heating which occurs due to downslope compression on the leeward side, as the mountain barrier creates frictional drag which tends to pull the air from the higher level down on the leeward, and air forced down is heated adiabatically and at the same time, its relative humidity is also lowered.
  • Chinook leads to the melt-down of the water and due to the sudden rise in temperature the water is evaporated, thus there occurs a reduction in the soil moisture, which is a negative aspect of Chinook.
• Santa Ana:
  • ​These are the dry and warm local wind that occurs in the Santa Ana Valley of Southern California and it is almost similar to Chinook or Foehn with regard to thermal and moisture characteristics.
• Loo:
  • It originates from the Thar desert and has north-westerly to a westerly direction.
  • They dominate during early summer in the months of march to may and create heat waves like conditions in Northern India and adjoining parts.
  • They have desiccating effects and are considered environmental hazards.