Sirocco

Sirocco (sɪˈrɒkoʊ ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. Sirocco derives from šurūq (شروق), verbal noun of šaraqa, related to the East, aš-šarq. Various names for this wind in other languages include: scirocco sciroccu siroco xaloc xlokk siròc or eisseròc sirokkó sorókos, or σιρόκος romanized: sirókos Jugu (south) jugo or rarely širok sciöco or mainasso Libyan Arabic: قبلي, romanized: , which means 'coming from the Qibla' Ḫamsīn, which means 'fifty' ('fifty-day wind') šlūq, probably from شروق with the same meaning as ; or شهيلي šarquiyy, pronounced širguī The Roman poet Horace refers to the sirocco at Trevico in Apulia as "Atabulus" (a Messapic word) in his account of his journey to Brundisium in 37 BC. Siroccos arise from warm, dry, tropical air masses that are pulled northward by low-pressure cells moving eastward across the Mediterranean Sea, with the wind originating in the Arabian or Sahara deserts. The hotter, drier continental air mixes with the cooler, wetter air of the maritime cyclone, and the counter-clockwise circulation of the low propels the mixed air across the southern coasts of Europe. The sirocco causes dusty dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa, storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and warm wet weather in Southern Europe. Sirocco doesn't affect other parts of Europe. The sirocco's duration may be as short as half a day or may last several days. While passing over the Mediterranean Sea, the sirocco picks up moisture; this results in rainfall in the southern part of Italy, known locally as "blood rain" due to the red sand mixed with the falling rain. Sirocco is commonly perceived as causing unease and an irritable mood in people. In addition, many people attribute health problems to the wind, either because of the heat and dust brought from African coastal regions, or because of the cool dampness further north in Europe.