Today the weather is dipping down to almost freezing, and the wind is strong. It was like this a week ago as well. But, last Sunday the weather was warm and beautiful. It felt like spring! What happened?

A beautiful Sunday

In Canada winters are long, snowy, and very cold. However, once in a while, a warm wind comes in and melts all the snow. This is called a “Chinook wind” in Canada. After the air drops its snow on one side of the mountains, the drier air warms up on the other side of the mountains. Sometimes the weather can change from minus 20 degrees to plus 15!

How a Chinook works

It is a nice break from winter, but the cold soon returns until the real spring comes along. For people with a garden, a Chinook can be bad. Flowers start to open because of the warm air and then are frozen soon after.

The sky during a Chinook

In Wakayama we don’t have to worry about minus 20 degrees, but it is still cold. Having a little bit of warm weather can help everyone feel better before summer comes.