harmattan

harmattan
/hahr'meuh tan"/, n.
(on the west coast of Africa) a dry, parching land breeze, charged with dust.
[1665-75; said to be < Twi haramata]

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▪ wind
      hot, dry wind that blows from the northeast or east in the western Sahara and is strongest in late fall and winter (late November to mid-March). It usually carries large amounts of dust, which it transports hundreds of kilometres out over the Atlantic Ocean; the dust often interferes with aircraft operations and settles on the decks of ships.

      The harmattan is a trade wind strengthened by a low-pressure centre over the north coast of the Gulf of Guinea and a high-pressure centre located over northwestern Africa in winter and over the adjacent Atlantic Ocean during other seasons. In the summer it is undercut by the cooler winds of the southwest monsoon, blowing in from the ocean; this forces the harmattan to rise to an altitude of about 900 to 1,800 metres (about 3,000 to 6,000 feet). The interaction between the harmattan and the monsoon sometimes produces West African tornadoes.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • harmattan — [här΄mə tan′] n. [Sp harmatán < the native (Twi) name in W Africa] a dry, dusty wind that blows from the Sahara in N Africa toward the Atlantic, esp. from Nov. to March …   English World dictionary

  • Harmattan — Bruma de Harmattan rodeando la Mezquita Nacional de Abuya en Abuya, Nigeria. El Harmattan es un viento alisio de África Occidental frío, seco y polvoriento. Sopla al sur del Sáhara hacia el golfo de Guinea entre el fin de noviembre y mitad de… …   Wikipedia Español

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  • Harmattan — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Harmattan (homonymie). Harmattan sur l île de Boa Vista au Cap Vert L harmattan est un vent (alizé) chaud …   Wikipédia en Français

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