HARMATTAN

hot, dry wind that blows from the northeast or east in the southern Sahara, mainly in winter. It usually carries large amounts of dust, which it transports hundreds of kilometres out over the Atlantic Ocean; the dust often interferes with aircraft operations and settles on the decks of ships. The harmattan is locally called the doctor because its dryness provides relief from the dampness of the summer. The harmattan is a trade wind strengthened by a low-pressure centre over the north coast of the Gulf of Guinea. In the summer it is undercut by the cooler winds of the southwest monsoon, blowing in from the ocean; this forces the harmattan to rise to an altitude of about 900 to 1,800 metres (about 3,000 to 6,000 feet). The interaction between the harmattan and the monsoon sometimes produces West African tornadoes.