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North Wind
Tue Mar 01, 2005
Listen in RealAudio 
The North Wind doth blow...strong and long, causing many Texas Panhandle ranchers
to worry: "The only think standing between us and the North Pole is a three-strand
barbwire fence. And I fear one strand is missing."
Such worries are warranted across North America, unique among the northern
continents because its major mountain chains run north-south rather than east-west
as in Europe and Asia. Without mountain barriers to block them, frigid Arctic outbreaks
sweep southward unabated across the American interior.
Before understanding the science behind winter weather, northern inhabitants heard
the voices of angry gods and demons in the North Wind's frigid rush. The Greeks
personified it as Boreas, an old man gray of locks, but strong in body and harsh in
disposition. The Ancient Egyptians named the North Wind Bai, the ram. The Apache
saw it as a black wind, the Irish as dark gray.
Boreas has many relatives: the twins - Norther of Texas and Blue Norther of Alberta;
the Siberian cousins Purgas and Myatel; the Asian Steppe-sisters Buran and
Steppenwind; Scottish nephews Blaast and Landlash; and the American
blood-brothers Arctic Screamer and Barber.
The continental expanses of northern Canada and Alaska provide spawning grounds
for our frigid outbreaks, although several each year emigrate from Siberia. There, long
winter nights couple with clear skies and snow-covered surfaces to chill the air. As the
air cools, it forms large domes of high pressure, which the jet stream eventually
pushes from the nest to rush wildly southward. The North Wind doth blow.
Thanks to our contributing writer, meteorologist Keith Heidorn. Support for our show
doth blow in from the National Science Foundation and Subaru of America.
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