Local winds are asked in one form only — a wind is named and you supply the region, or a region is given and you supply its wind. The list is short, it never changes, and most candidates lose these marks because they revise the monsoon chapter instead of revising the wind-to-place table. This post gives that table, separates the hot winds from the cold ones, adds the cyclone names by region, and ends with previous year questions.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Loo — hot dry wind of northern India in summer
- Chinook — warm wind of the Rocky Mountains, called the snow eater
- Foehn — warm dry wind of the Alps
- Mistral — cold wind of France; Sirocco — hot dust-laden wind from the Sahara
- Tropical cyclones: Hurricane in the Atlantic, Typhoon in the Pacific, Willy-Willy in Australia
1. Hot and warm local winds
| Wind | Region | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Loo | Northern India and Pakistan | Hot dry wind of the summer months; causes heatstroke |
| Chinook | Rocky Mountains, North America | Warm descending wind; called the snow eater because it melts snow rapidly |
| Foehn | Alps, Europe | Warm dry descending wind on the leeward slopes |
| Sirocco | Sahara to the Mediterranean | Hot dust-laden wind; called blood rain when it carries red dust |
| Harmattan | West Africa | Dry dusty wind from the Sahara; called the doctor for the relief it brings from humidity |
| Khamsin | Egypt | Hot southerly wind |
| Simoom | Arabian desert | Hot dry dust-laden wind |
| Zonda | Argentina | Warm dry wind descending the Andes |
| Santa Ana | California, United States | Hot dry wind; associated with wildfire spread |
| Brickfielder | Australia | Hot dry wind from the interior |
Three of these carry a nickname that is asked as its own question. Chinook is the snow eater, Harmattan is the doctor, and Sirocco carries the red Saharan dust that gives blood rain. If a question quotes a nickname rather than a wind, those three cover almost all of them.
Chinook and Foehn are the classic pair. Both are warm descending winds on the leeward side of a mountain range; the difference is only geography — Chinook in the Rockies, Foehn in the Alps. Papers place them as options against each other for exactly that reason.
2. Cold local winds
| Wind | Region | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mistral | France, from the Alps to the Mediterranean | Cold dry northerly wind down the Rhone valley |
| Bora | Adriatic coast | Cold dry wind from the north-east |
| Blizzard | North America and Siberia | Cold wind carrying snow |
| Buran | Central Asia and Siberia | Cold wind; called Purga when it carries snow |
| Pampero | Argentina, over the Pampas | Cold dry south-westerly |
| Levanter | Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar | Cool easterly wind |
| Nor'wester | New Zealand | Warm in New Zealand; distinct from the Indian Norwester |
Mistral is the standard answer for a cold wind of France, and it is asked more than the rest of this table combined. Buran and Purga are the same wind under two names, the second used when it is carrying snow — a distinction papers like.
Note the name clash on the last row. Nor'wester in New Zealand is a warm wind; in India, Norwester or Kalbaisakhi refers to the pre-monsoon thunderstorms of Bengal, which is an entirely different phenomenon. Read the region in the question before answering.
3. Seasonal winds of India
| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Loo | Northern plains | Hot dry summer wind, strongest in May and June |
| Kalbaisakhi | West Bengal and Bangladesh | Pre-monsoon evening thunderstorms; also called Norwester |
| Mango Shower | Kerala, Karnataka | Pre-monsoon rain that helps ripen mangoes |
| Blossom Shower | Kerala | Pre-monsoon rain that aids coffee flowering |
| Bardoli Chheerha | Assam | Local name for the pre-monsoon storms |
| Cherry Blossom | Karnataka | Another name for the coffee blossom rain |
The pre-monsoon showers are the most confused set in Indian geography. Keep them by crop: Mango Shower ripens mangoes, Blossom Shower helps coffee flower, and Kalbaisakhi is Bengal's thunderstorm. Those three answer nearly every question in this group.
4. Tropical cyclones by region
The same storm has a different name depending on the ocean it forms in, and that is a question in itself.
| Name | Region |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | North Atlantic, Caribbean and eastern Pacific |
| Typhoon | Western Pacific, around China, Japan and the Philippines |
| Cyclone | Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea |
| Willy-Willy | Australia |
| Baguio | Philippines |
| Taifu | Japan |
Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclone and Willy-Willy are the four asked most often, and the way to hold them is by ocean rather than by country — Atlantic, western Pacific, Indian Ocean, Australia.
Two related facts are asked alongside. The calm centre of a tropical cyclone is the eye, surrounded by the eye wall where winds are strongest. And cyclones in the north Indian Ocean are named by a regional panel of member countries, with each contributing names to a common list — which is why the names rotate between languages.
5. Previous year questions
- Which hot dry wind blows over northern India in summer? — Loo
- Which wind is known as the snow eater? — Chinook
- Chinook winds blow in which mountain range? — Rocky Mountains
- Foehn is a warm wind associated with which mountains? — The Alps
- Which hot wind blows from the Sahara towards the Mediterranean? — Sirocco
- Which wind of West Africa is called the doctor? — Harmattan
- Mistral is a cold wind of which country? — France
- Pampero blows over which region? — The Pampas of Argentina
- What is Buran called when it carries snow? — Purga
- Kalbaisakhi occurs in which Indian state? — West Bengal
- Which pre-monsoon rain helps coffee flowering in Kerala? — Blossom Shower
- Tropical cyclones in the western Pacific are called what? — Typhoon
- Willy-Willy is the name for cyclones in which country? — Australia
- What is the calm centre of a tropical cyclone called? — The eye
- Santa Ana winds blow in which part of the United States? — California
6. How to revise this topic
Split the list into hot and cold before anything else. Most questions ask for the region, but a fair number ask whether a named wind is warm or cold, and a candidate who has learnt the table as one long list gets those wrong.
Then fix the four deliberate confusions: Chinook against Foehn (Rockies against Alps, both warm and descending), Mistral against Bora (France against the Adriatic, both cold), Buran against Purga (same wind, snow or no snow), and Nor'wester in New Zealand against Norwester in Bengal (opposite in nature).
Keep the cyclone names on their own card, learnt by ocean. And keep the Indian pre-monsoon showers with their crops, because that is how the question is framed.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Chinook and Foehn?
Only the region. Both are warm dry winds descending the leeward slopes of a mountain range. Chinook blows in the Rocky Mountains of North America and is called the snow eater; Foehn blows in the Alps. They are placed as options against each other for that reason.
Which wind is called the snow eater and why?
The Chinook. As it descends the eastern slopes of the Rockies it warms and dries, melting or evaporating lying snow very quickly — hence the name.
What is the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone?
They are the same weather system named by region. Hurricane in the North Atlantic, Caribbean and eastern Pacific; typhoon in the western Pacific; cyclone in the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. In Australia the name Willy-Willy is used.
What is Kalbaisakhi?
The violent pre-monsoon evening thunderstorms of West Bengal and Bangladesh, also called Norwester. It is a different phenomenon from the New Zealand Nor'wester, which is a warm descending wind, so read the region in the question.
What is the difference between mango shower and blossom shower?
Both are pre-monsoon rains in south India, but they serve different crops. Mango shower falls in Kerala and Karnataka and helps mangoes ripen; blossom shower helps coffee flowering in Kerala. Questions are usually framed by the crop.
For more Geography topics in simple language, see our Indian Monsoon System and Atmosphere: Layers and Composition posts, or browse the Geography section. Preparing for a specific exam? Start with the SSC CGL guide or join the 100 Hour GS Course.