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Chinook

Weather
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A warm, dry downslope wind that descends the eastern side of mountains, often rapidly raising temperatures and melting snow.

Detailed Definition
A Chinook is a warm downslope wind that can rapidly raise temperatures on the eastern side of mountain ranges, especially in western North America. It may melt snow, clear frost, and alter a winter landscape within hours. In poetry, the Chinook can symbolize sudden mercy, release from hardship, or a change so swift it feels miraculous. Its warmth after cold makes it a powerful image of emotional thawing and unexpected renewal.
Example
Example in poetry:
The Chinook crossed the plains, melting snow from the fences by noon; A poet may use Chinook, a warm downslope wind, as a sign of sudden thaw and emotional release; After weeks of winter, the Chinook sounded like water running beneath the ice; In a prairie poem, the Chinook can transform a frozen landscape into a place of possibility
Additional Notes
A chinook is a warm, dry mountain wind that can melt snow quickly. It is especially associated with the eastern Rockies.
Other Meanings of “Chinook”
Also Known As
Chinook Wind Snow-Eater
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