foehn
Americannoun
noun
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A warm, dry, and often strong wind coming off the lee slopes of a mountain range, especially off the northern slopes of the Alps. A foehn is a katabatic wind that warms as it descends because it has dropped its moisture before crossing the mountain range and is put under greater atmospheric pressure as it moves downward. Various local names are also used for foehns (such as chinook in the Rocky Mountain regions). A foehn can cause sudden and dramatic increases in the temperature—from 10° to 20°C (50° to 68°F) in a few minutes—which can cause snow to melt rapidly and even trigger flooding.
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See also chinook
Etymology
Origin of foehn
1860–65; < German Föhn (originally in Alpine dialects), Middle High German foenne, Old High German phōnno < Vulgar Latin *faōnius, for Latin Favōnius Favonius
Vocabulary lists containing foehn
Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The temperatures in west and north-west of Wales have had temperatures boosted by something called the Foehn effect.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
He said he hopes that the research on the role of Foehn and katabatic winds in polar regions will help the climate science community strengthen the physical fidelity of Earth system models.
From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2023
IntelliWeather meteorologist Anthony Watts said the heat was due to “compression heating of downslope winds called Foehn winds,” also known as the Santa Ana Winds.
From Washington Times • Sep. 8, 2020
"I like this strong wind, this warm wind, the singing of the trees and the clear air... I love the Foehn. I can’t live without the Foehn."
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2017
At sea-level the temperature of the river of air would be, approximately, -20 degrees F. Such a rise in temperature due to compression is a well-known phenomenon, referred to as the Foehn effect.
From The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 by Mawson, Douglas, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
