Definition
Occurs on clear nights when air chilled over high ground or an ice cap becomes dense and drains downslope, accelerating through valleys and fjords. Strength depends on the height and steepness of the terrain: in Norwegian, Chilean and Greenland fjords katabatic gusts can exceed gale force with little warning, striking anchorages that appear sheltered on the chart. The weaker daytime upslope counterpart is the anabatic wind.
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