Notus and the South Wind

Dawn at La Pasera

In ancient Greece, Notus was the god of the south wind and was associated with the desiccating hot wind of the rise of Sirius after midsummer and the bringer of late summer and autumn storms, and as such, feared as a destroyer of crops.

At La Pasera, we primarily experience the south winds during Autumn and they usually herald the arrival of rains when the winds die down. The intensity of the winds may vary from a gentle breeze to a very strong and howling wind that tend to leave a trail of damaged trees and some structural damage such as roof tiles being blown, damaged fences, chimneys, sheds, etc. Apart from the damage the passing of Notus may leave behind, one of the constant characteristics of this wind is how hot and dry it is.

At this time of the year, you may be woken up in the middle of the night or get up in the early morning as was the case today and be greeted by a temperature around 30 C and a humidity between 20 and 30 %, very dry living so near the coast where the air humidity is frequently close to 90% .

The locals refer to the south wind at this time of the year as "The chestnut Wind" as it is the one that causes the falling of this fruit....time to harvest.

I hope this time Notus' passing is a gentle one and leaves us with some much needed rain.

Midday at La Pasera looking towards the Sueve Mountains