Talk:harmattan

Possible copyvio

The definition smells like copyvio. Has anyone got this Oxford dictionary to check it? Equinox ◑ 20:23, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

Temperature

I can find old and modern sources which support "hot", and others which support "cold", e.g.:

• 1852 Graham's Magazine: "The Harmattan, a periodical hot wind from the desert,..."
• 2007 Climate and Land Degradation: "At the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, a special dry and hot wind, locally termed Harmattan, occurs."

vs

• 1792 Dissertations on different subjects of Natural Philosophy: "The Harmattan, which comes from the north-east, agrees with our east wind, in being a cold wind."
• 1954 The Biu Book: A Collation and Reference Book on Biu Division (Northern Nigeria): "November: Hot at first but harmattan comes and soon makes it very cold at nights and in the early morning."
• 2012 Many Moons Ago in Africa: “The dry cold wind originates from the rocky hills in Ekwe. They blow their pipes to produce the cold wind of harmattan.”

Perhaps most helpful is a 1919 Geographical Review article, which says: "Knox writes of this wind : The Harmattan is experienced as a wind which blows, especially in the months of December, January, and February, from the NE. and is a hot wind in some localities and a cold wind in others, according to circumstances." The easiest course of action would be to drop mention of the temperature. - -sche (discuss) 05:32, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

Quote

Sailing Alone Around the World: "September 1, in the early morning, land-clouds rising ahead told of the Canary Islands not far away. A change in the weather came next day: storm-clouds stretched their arms across the sky; from the east, to all appearances, might come a fierce harmattan, or from the south might come the fierce hurricane. Every point of the compass threatened a wild storm." Source: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6317/6317-h/6317-h.htm#CHAPTER_V

I've added it; thank you for the suggestion. :) - -sche (discuss) 04:31, 21 January 2017 (UTC)