Sirocco: What Is It & The Definition

You may have heard the term “Sirocco” going around, especially if you live in North Africa or Southern Europe, and rightfully so.

Sirocco is a wind from the Libyan deserts, which is hot and dust-laden and blows towards Sicily, Malta, and Italy. It moves swiftly over the Mediterranean coast and collides with the warm moist oppressive southeast wind in the same area.

When these two hot and cold winds combine, they can form a cyclone or tornado due to unequal air pressure. That happens more regularly, especially during the summer when the above regions have high temperatures.

How Is a Sirocco Formed?

With the wind originating in the Sahara or Arabian deserts, low-pressure cells are pulled eastward across the Mediterranean Sea, causing the rise of siroccos in the tropical dry air mass.

The wetter air of a maritime cyclone and the drier, hotter air of Africa mixes in counterclockwise motions that push the mixed air over to the southern coasts of Europe.

In most cases, siroccos tend to occur year-round without a favored season or month. However, during spring, strong gale forces winds are more imminent. You can experience 10 to 12 hours of continuous gale force winds during a sirocco, which can last much longer on occasion.

Where Does Sirocco Occur?

Generally, siroccos occur over southern Europe and the northern Mediterranean Sea when humid and warm winds combine. From there, it blows to the southeast or south and delivers uncomfortably hot air to the people of these regions.

The moisture collected by the dry winds is one of the primary causes of the rise in humidity in the air. When the winds travel northward, they can cause rain, fog, and clouds over the northern Mediterranean region.

This weather is known to cause insomnia and headaches for many due to the sultry sweltering it creates. Sometimes it can cause thermostats to reach well over 40 degrees during the daytime, and overnight temperatures are generally above 30 degrees.

Various Name of Sirocco in Different Languages

Siroccos are named differently in the various locations that they appear, and this is because of cultural belief plus the effect it has on the region. Below are the most common names it is called in areas that are effect regularly by sirocco winds:

Morocco – Sarquiy

Tunisian – Sluq

Egypt – Hamsin

Libya – Ghibli

Liguria – Mainasso or Scioco

Croatia – Sirok or Jugo

Albania – Shirok

Greece – Sirokos

Occitania – Siroc

Malta – Xlokk

Catalonia – Xaloc

Spain – Sirocco

Sicily – Scirocco

Italy – Scirocco

You can see that sirocco winds are widespread, and multiple names have been adopted for them. Now, it’s time to discuss the effect of a sirocco and highlight the damage it can cause to infrastructure, plus show its benefit for a specific industry.

Effects of a Sirocco

The sirocco causes cool, wet weather in Europe, storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and dusty dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa. A sirocco’s duration could last several days or be as short as half a day.

In most cases, rainfall in the southern part of Italy results from the sirocco picking up moisture as it travels over the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the falling rain mixing with red sand, the locals in Italy have called it “blood rain.”

People often feel irritable moods and uneasiness due to the Sirocco winds. Either because of the cool dampness in Europe or dust and heat brought from African coastal regions, many people attribute health issues to the wind.

Abrasion of mechanical devices and penetrations of buildings can be caused by the dust carried by the sirocco wind.

Spring and Autumn are the most common time for these winds to appear, and they can reach startling speeds of 62 mph or more. When it’s scorching, the sirocco winds reach their peak, usually between March and November.

The acqua alta phenomenon in the Venetian Lagoon is caused when the rising tide combines with the sirocco.

What’s interesting about the sirocco is that it has a significant impact on fishing. Fishers near Barcola who catch anchovies in the Gulf of Trieste use these winds to capture this in-demand delicacy.

Other winds like the Bora (which is a cold wind) tend to make the fish vanish into the open seas of the Adriatic.

Fact About Siroccos

Atmospheric depressions help form siroccos in the southern Mediterranean, Arabia, and Africa. You may be thinking, isn’t this what gives the North African coast its characteristic dryness? Well, you are absolutely correct!

The creation of the hot, dry, and dusty wind is drawn from the air by the depressions. Along the way, these winds pick up moisture and transport devitalizing, humid, and hot air to Europe’s southern regions.

Moreover, the air gets colder and wet blasts of weather begin in Europe and its surrounding areas in the winter months.

Some countries have developed special equipment and clothing to deal with sirocco winds. In order to prevent the intrusion of sand and dust, lightweight windbreakers with elastic around the hoods and cuffs have been created.

If you are interested in measuring the winds of a sirocco, there are also home wind speed meters capable of reading the most potent sirocco.

Volkswagen also borrowed the name sirocco by calling one of its iconic cars “Scirocco.” There is also a New Zealand vineyard that has called itself Sirocco Wines.

The impact of Sirocco on the world has been exponential ever since studies have been performed on these winds.

Conclusion

Sirocco winds can be brutal for southern Europe and the northern region of the Mediterranean. These winds cause high humidity and are the primary reason for building and device damage in many countries.

With the combining force of two temperatures, these winds have been known to cause extreme or unbearable weather.

People experience these winds throughout the year, but more so during the Autumn and Spring months when temperatures rise. This piece was meant to be informative and educational, so please share this guide on the Sirocco to help family and friends understand the weather better.