Lombarde

Location: French-Italian border

The Lombarde is an easterly to northeasterly wind that predominates the French Italian-borders. It blows down from the High Alps out of the Lombardy region, hence the name. While it is mostly gently and dry along the French and Italian Riviera, in winter it might become violent and cold forming snowdrifts in the mountain valleys.


Synoptically it is associated with an area of high pressure and cold air over eastern France and central Europe and a low pressure system of mild humid air south of Nice. Sometimes the lombarde is also induced by high pressure to the southeast of Europe and low pressure to the northwest along with falling pressure over western France.