Sunday, March 2, 2014

Native Americans of the Northwest: Chinook Winds


Chinook Wind
Chinook Wind

My wife and I lived in Denver, Colorado for many years and occasionally experienced a phenomenon called the “Chinook Wind”.   These winds,  blowing over the Rocky Mountain Front Range, could actually raise the temperature from below freezing to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few hours.  Chinook winds can occur in many areas of western North America and certainly are not unique to Colorado.  In fact, the term and the original Chinook winds originated in the northwestern coastal area.

The term “Chinook” comes from the Pacific Coast Chinook tribe that lived along the lower

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