What term describes a warm upslope wind?

• A. Headwind effect
• B. Anabatic wind
• C. Sea breeze
• D. Katabatic wind

Answer: (B)

Warm upslope wind happens when daytime heating arcs up the slopes: the sun warms the mountain faces, the air right above them becomes lighter and rises along the slope, and this rising air draws in air from lower down the valley, creating a breeze that moves upslope. This is called anabatic wind. It’s a daytime, slope-driven phenomenon, and it contrasts with katabatic wind, which is a cold, downslope drainage of air that flows from high ground to lower areas, usually at night. A sea breeze, by contrast, comes from differential heating between land and sea and is an onshore flow near the coast, not specifically tied to upslope movement. So the warm upslope wind is best described as anabatic wind.