Tramontana (wind)
| Winds in the Mediterranean |
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The Tramontana called in Italy , Croatia ( Croatian Tramuntana ), southern France and northern Spain ( Catalan Tramuntana ), the northern and north-western, cold, often gusty wind flow . In Italy, this wind is particularly frequent in the Liguria region . Especially in winter, it is particularly pronounced in the mouth of the valley, with the resulting rapid temperature drops.
The wind can freshen up both when the weather is stable and clear, as well as when the cloudiness is medium to heavy. In the latter case, the weather situation can deteriorate, followed by strong gusts and rain. In Liguria there is the Italian name Tramontana Scura 'dark Tramontana'. Due to the location of the Ligurian coast between the Alps in the north and the Apennine arch in the south, there are frequent perturbations from the mountains. This is why in this Italian region there is the peasant rule tramuntan-na scüa, ægua següa (Ligurian for 'dark Tramontana, sure rain').
According to the relevant etymological dictionaries, the explanation is simple: trans 'beyond', montana 'the mountains', i.e. the wind that comes from beyond the mountains.
There are also the following hypotheses on naming:
- According to some statements, the name comes from the Latin indication of direction intra montes , as the wind comes from the "heart of the Alps" (north).
- According to a local tradition, the name comes from the place Tramonti , which lies north of the Amalfi lake region .
- Finally, the traditional fixed point on the Italian compass rose Rosa dei Venti , i.e. the island of Zakynthos (Italian: Zante ) in the Ionian Sea, is mentioned. There the term “Tramontana” is used for the mountains of Albania and Northern Greece, which from the point of view of the island lie in the north.
- The name is often incorrectly associated with the Italian tramonto 'sunset'.
See also: winches and wind systems