The Climate of, and Weather in, the Languedoc:   Wind:   Le Vent Sirocco or Scirocco

As a depression moves into the central Mediterranean a strong southerly wind can develop ahead of it near North Africa, which can be very hot and dry and carry dust. If the conditions are right these winds move across the Mediterranean Sea picking up moisture from the sea and by the time they reach Europe they bring warm, humid air and low cloud .

The Scirocco is a south wind.  It brings hot dry air from Africa - which can be uncomfortable in a particularly hot summer. 

This wind blows only rarely, and then only for a few hours. 

If you find everything for miles around covered by a fine film of sand, you can be confident that the Scirocco has brought it from the Sahara Desert. 

The Sirocco causes dusty, dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa and storms in the Mediterranean Sea. It may last for between half a day or many days. Many people attribute health problems to the Sirocco. The dust carried by it can damage mechanical devices and invade buildings.

Winds with speeds of almost 100 kilometers per hour (55 knots, hurricane-force) are most common during the autumn and the spring. They reach peaks in March and in November.

Scirocco and Sirocco are Italian names. Jugo is the name used in Croatia and ghibli in Libya.

 

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