[Sky]
On the eastern slopes of the Andes in western Argentina, there is a powerful regional wind called the Zonda. Like the Chinook in North America or the Föhn in Europe, it is a warm, dry downslope wind – but with its own local flavour and impacts. Where Does the Zonda Blow?
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[Sky]
At the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, a special regional wind often makes its presence felt: the Levante. This moist, sometimes persistent easterly can bring cloud, drizzle and rough seas to the gateway between Europe and Africa. Where Does the Levante Blow? The Levante mainly affects:
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In Egypt and parts of the eastern Mediterranean, a hot, dusty wind known as the Khamsin (or Hamsin) can turn the sky yellowish and send temperatures soaring. This regional wind is part of the family of hot desert winds that also includes the Sirocco and other Saharan outflows. Where Does the Khamsin Blow?
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[Sky]
In western Switzerland and parts of eastern France, many people are familiar with a chilly, persistent wind called the Bise. This cold, dry northeasterly often blows along the north side of the Alps and the Jura, making lakeside cities feel much colder than the thermometer suggests. Where Does the Bise Blow?
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Around the western Mediterranean, from northeastern Spain to southern France and parts of Italy, people know a cold, dry north wind called the Tramontana. It can clear the sky in hours, make temperatures feel much lower, and whip up rough seas. Where Does the Tramontana Blow? The Tramontana affects several regions, including:
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[Sky]
Europe does not have a single continent-wide authority for naming storms. Names are assigned by national meteorological services that coordinate in regional groups. When a storm is expected to cause significant impacts, the first service to issue a high-level warning uses the next name from its list and neighboring services adopt it.
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[Sky]
The first big celestial event of the year arrives quickly: the Quadrantid meteor shower peaks during the night of 3–4 January. This shower is famous for producing brief outbursts of more than 100 fast, blue meteors per hour, but only for a few hours when Earth slices through the densest part of the debris stream.
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[Sky]
If you still crave meteors after the Geminids, keep your gear handy for the Ursids. This faithful shower peaks on the night of 22 December, just after the solstice, delivering roughly 10 meteors per hour with occasional outbursts when Earth crosses dense filaments shed by Comet 8P/Tuttle. The radiant sits near the Little Dipper’s bowl in Ursa Minor, so it never sets for most Northern Hemisphere observers.
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[Sky]
Polar lights are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena on Earth If we were to rank the most beautiful atmospheric phenomena, we would definitely give one of the highest places to polar lights. The ideal time for them is clear frosty nights from September to March at latitudes of about 67–70°.
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[Sky]
Clear a spot on your calendar for the Geminid meteor shower, widely regarded as the most reliable display of the year. Activity stretches from 4 to 17 December, and the peak is predicted for the night of 13–14 December with zenithal hourly rates near 120 meteors per hour under dark skies.
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