Judy Butler, age 8, of Nashville,

What is a williwaw?

A williwaw is distantly related to a willy‑willy and both of them are very unwelcome visitors in the weather picture. A willy‑willy is a howling hurricane which sometimes rages down a path around north western Australia. A williwaw is a cold and gusty wind which sometimes chills high mountain regions.

No one seems to know how the williwaw wind got its name. But almost everyone in the state of Alaska knows what a williwaw means. It means that the cold, cold air sitting on the chilly interior inside the Arctic Circle has started to move. It sweeps along as a strong, gusty gale and the thermometer drops to chilly degrees.