Again, as the warm south winds furiously blow and remove Northern BC's winter snow, it seems there is no word regionally used to describe these special winds. "Pineapple Express" is sometimes used but does not seem to capture the regional character of these warming winds.
So, I suggest a new word may be needed.
I propose the word "sounook.”
Pronounced "sow" "nook" - it combines "sou" from "south", and "nook" from "chinook". Of course, a chinook is the warming east wind that similarly howls across Alberta's foothills and plains. But, chinook also connects to the chinook jargon which was spoken across the Pacific Northwest and into Central British Columbia.
As the mild wind comes from the south and warms the area where chinook jargon was once prevalent, it could be an appropriate moniker for these warming winds.
Other folks may have other great ideas. There are perhaps words that have historically been used regionally, and I look forward to the suggestions. But it seems time that an appropriate word is commonly used to herald the arrival of this special windy weather.
Cheers!
Glen Mikkelsen
Prince George
