arched squall

[ ahrcht skwawl ]

noun

, Meteorology.

1. a potentially violent squall in which storm clouds appear as a well-developed arch rising above the horizon:

   The afternoon’s calm at sea had been ushered in by a treacherous arched squall, which had us scrambling to our sails in a hurry.

Word History and Origins

Origin of arched squall¹

First recorded in 1810–15

Example Sentences

If it be night, the increased luminosity of the sea may be the warning of the arched squall.

From Project Gutenberg