The Wayward Wind / Gogi Grant 1956

In Alberta and elsewhere – like Montana and Colorado – we get this weather phenomenon we call Chinooks and Chinook Arches.

Chinook Arch Definition:

A Chinook arch is a striking weather phenomenon often seen along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains—especially around Calgary. It appears as a long, curved band of cloud stretching parallel to the mountains, usually with a sharp, clear boundary. This arch forms when warm, dry Chinook winds descend the mountains and create a high crest of air that shapes the cloud layer into that distinctive arc.

At sunset these Arches often spectacular:

WOW!
We don’t mind them at all.

---

Origins of the “Chinook”

The word Chinook originally comes from the name of a Native American people of the Pacific Northwest—specifically a community in the Columbia River region of what is now Washington and Oregon. The term traces back to the Salishan language, where it referred to a particular village site.