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Föhn wind illustration (Left [West]: windward side, Right [East]: leeward side). The southeast Australian foehn is distinguished by three criteria; surface winds which blow from the mountains' direction, a sharp rise in air temperature in the leeward side of the mountains, and an accompanying diminution in atmospheric moisture. [2]
The terms windward and leeward are used in reference both to sides (and climates [7]) of individual islands and relative island locations in an archipelago. The windward side of an island is subject to the prevailing wind, and is thus the wetter (see orographic precipitation). The leeward side is the side distant from or physically in the lee ...
The causes of the Foehn effect in the lee of mountains (adapted from: [1]) Dissolving Föhn clouds over Cumbre Nueva, La Palma, at an elevation of 1,400 m (4,600 ft) A Foehn, or Föhn (UK: / f ɜː n /, US: / f eɪ n / fayn, [2] [3] US also / f ʌ n, f ɜːr n / fu(r)n [4] [5]), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range.
Orographic precipitation is known to occur on oceanic islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand; much of the rainfall received on such islands is on the windward side, and the leeward side tends to be quite dry, almost desert-like. This phenomenon results in substantial local gradients in the amount of average rainfall, with coastal ...
The mountain ranges on the eastern side of Madagascar provide a rain shadow for the country's western portion. The windward side of the island of Madagascar, which sees easterly on-shore winds, is wet tropical, while the western and southern sides of the island lie in the rain shadow of the central highlands and are home to thorn forests and ...
At night, the sides of the hills cool through radiation of the heat. The air along the hills becomes cooler and denser, blowing down into the valley, drawn by gravity. This is known a mountain breeze. If the slopes are covered with ice and snow, the mountain breeze will blow during the day, carrying the cold dense air into the warmer, barren ...
As warm, moist air rises up the windward side of a mountain, the air temperature cools and loses its capacity to hold moisture. Thus, the greatest amount of rainfall is expected at mid-altitudes and can support deciduous forest development. Above a certain elevation the rising air becomes too dry and cold, and thus discourages tree growth. [9]
Local climates vary considerably on each island due to their topography, divisible into windward (Koʻolau) and leeward (Kona) regions based upon location relative to the higher surrounding mountains. Windward sides face the east-to-northeast trade winds and receive much more clouds and rainfall; leeward sides are drier and sunnier, with less ...