harmattan"(Also spelled harmatan, harmetan, hermitan.) A dry, dust-bearing wind from the northeast or east that blows in West Africa especially from late November until mid-March.
Harmattan The dry, dusty trade wind blowing off the Sahara Desert across the Gulf of Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands. Sometimes called the DOCTOR, because of its supposed healthful properties.
Harmattan- a hot, dry, and dusty northeasterly or easterly wind that occurs in West Africa north of the equator and is caused by the outflow of air from subtropical high pressure areas.
Doctor and Harmattan These are old colloquisms from West Africa used to describe winds. The harmattan is derived from a Spanish term and refers to the northeast winds that blow in the dry season (November to March).
Harmattan (dry northerly wind across central Africa)
Halny (in northern Carpathians)
Khamsin (southeasterly from north Africa to the eastern Mediterranean)
Levanter (easterly through Strait of Gibraltar)
Libeccio (southwesterly towards Italy) ...
Similar gusty, cold winds in northern latitudes are called the williwaw (not to be confused with the Australian willy-willy, which is a hurricane). The harmattan of the West African coast is also a dry land wind blowing from December to February.
 See also: Air, Latitude, Front, Cyclone, Force
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