A wind by any other name

In “Paint Your Wagon” they called the wind Maria (with a long English “i”) in a number that has Celtic roots. Since the story’s set in California, this seems a bit odd as that place has its own big winds (I am not talking politics here).  California’s Santa Anas have found their way into Raymond Chandler stories and regularly–they come in October and March, for the main part–stir fires to proportions ranging from bothersome to epic. Santa Anas are hot, dry and, as Chandler and other LA writers note, can make you crazy either individually or collectively.

My incessant reading of weather reports here (hey, it’s part of my job; never before have I taken weather reports at anything more than comic relief value) has introduced me to “Les Suetes” which, yes, seem to come with a capitalized article even in mid-sentence from Environment Canada. Their Newfoundland counterparts have an even more picturesque name: Wreckhouse winds.

Volkswagen, years ago, used inspiration from another wind for as the name for its racy model the Sirocco. Like the Santa Anas, and most unlike Les Suetes, this one conjures up warmth.

Yesterday’s weather, while minus Santa Ana, Maria, Sirocco and, most locally, even the other two, were gianormous indeed. And wind by any name is my least favourite weather form.