Canadian Weather Phrases
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Weather events are shared experiences among a region's residents. It is not surprising, then, that local words enter the language to describe specific events. That's true in the United States and across the meteorologically diverse nation of Canada, where many local weather terms have arisen, including 70 unique wind names.

Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is the Weather Notebook.

In the Prairie Provinces, the January thaw is called the "Bonspiel Thaw" because it often arrives with the curling tournament, or bonspiel, season.

The "ground-drifter" is a cold north wind pushing snow into drifts. "Plough winds" are strong, downburst winds descending from severe thunderstorms; and "black blizzard" describes fierce dust storms of black prairie soil.

Coastal British Columbia has several local wind names. The "Qualicum" is a strong sea breeze surging across Vancouver Island onto the Strait of Georgia, while the "Squamish" is an Arctic outbreak wind emerging from the cold continental interior through Howe Sound.

On the Arctic's Ellesmere Island, a "cow storm" describes a strong gale that can blow the horns off muskoxen cows.

Newfoundlanders are especially fruitful in coining unique weather words. Here are just a few:

"Sheila's Brush" names a fierce wind and snowstorm striking around St Patrick's Day;

"Silver Glitter" describes an ice storm;

"Wreckhouse winds" are strong gales known for blowing trains off tracks and trucks off roads;

"Mauzy" denotes damp and warm, muggy weather, sometimes with light rain.

We thank meteorologist Keith Heidorn who shared his Canadian weather vocabulary from his home in Victoria, British Columbia. The Weather Notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory and is supported by the National Science Foundation and Subaru.