Are Santa Ana-like winds unique to Southern California?
A. No. Warm, dry downslope winds can occur anywhere where weather patterns force originally cold air to flow downslope. In the Front Range of the Rockies, downslope winds during winter can cause snow to disappear owing to their heat and dryness, and are variously dubbed “Chinooks” or “snow-eaters”. In Europe, ostensibly similar winds are often called “Foehn winds”. In my view, the best descriptive term for the Santa Ana winds is katabatic winds, which is Greek for “to flow downhill”. As mentioned above, the Santa Ana air starts out relatively colder and more dense, and thus falls downslope Back to the Santa Ana Winds page 23 October 2007. Amended 22 September 2009.
