Sirocco ( / s ɪ ˈ r ɒ k oʊ / sih- RO -koh ) or scirocco is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe , especially during the summer season.
6-700: The Jurca MJ-5 Sirocco (named for the Sirocco wind ) is a two-seat sport aircraft designed in France in the early 1960s and marketed for homebuilding. It is one of many wooden homebuilt designs from Romanian born designer Marcel Jurca. Jurca, a Henschel Hs 129 pilot in World War II marketed the plans in Canada and America through Falconar Aviation . It is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional configuration and wooden construction throughout. The tandem seats are enclosed by
12-564: A bubble canopy, and the tailwheel undercarriage can be built as either fixed or with retractable main units. Marcel Jurca died on 19 October 2001, at which time plans were still available from the designer's website. Plans are supplied by Avions Marcel Jurca and Manna Aviation of Australia. Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1993–94 General characteristics Performance Sirocco Sirocco derives from šurūq ( Arabic : شروق ), verbal noun of šaraqa , related to
18-467: A day or may last several days. While passing over the Mediterranean Sea, the sirocco picks up moisture; this results in rainfall in the southern part of Italy , known locally as "blood rain" due to the red sand mixed with the falling rain. Sirocco is commonly perceived as causing unease and an irritable mood in people. In addition, many people attribute health problems to the wind, either because of
24-593: The Arabian or Sahara deserts. The hotter, drier continental air mixes with the cooler, wetter air of the maritime cyclone , and the counter-clockwise circulation of the low propels the mixed air across the southern coasts of Europe. The sirocco causes dusty dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa, storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and warm wet weather in Southern Europe. The sirocco does not affect other parts of Europe. The sirocco's duration may be as short as half
30-573: The East, aš-šarq . Various names for this wind in other languages include: The Roman poet Horace refers to the sirocco at Trevico in Apulia as "Atabulus" (a Messapic word) in his account of his journey to Brundisium in 37 BC. Siroccos arise from warm, dry, tropical air masses that are pulled northward by low-pressure cells moving eastward across the Mediterranean Sea , with the wind originating in
36-560: The heat and dust brought from African coastal regions, or because of the cool dampness further north in Europe. The dust in the sirocco winds can cause abrasion in mechanical devices and penetrate buildings. Sirocco winds with speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn) are most common during autumn and spring. They reach a peak in March and in November when it is very hot. When combined with
#0