Climate of Alaska#South

The Knik wind blowing / southeast wind in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska ( USA) as a strong South. He appears regularly in all seasons and is a generally warm wind. The Knik wind reaches high speeds and often occurs as a dust storm. The tree vegetation in the Matanuska Valley has often a tendency in west / northwest direction by the regularly occurring Southeast winds.

The wind conditions in the Matanuska Valley are caused by several factors. To meet the mild coastal climate Südalaskas to the extremely continental climate of central Alaska, where the influence of the sea dominated mainly. They are due to the relatively warm waters of the Pacific Ocean in the south, to the high latitude of the place, the low altitude of the valley and the nearby surrounding mountain ranges ( Alaska Range, Talkeetna Mountains and the Chugach Mountains ). The wind conditions in the Matanuska Valley are also significantly affected by cold polar air masses and the descending winds of the surrounding glaciers.

From east / northeast direction blows with the Matanuska- wind a much stronger wind in the valley that occurs mostly during the winter and spring and is very cold.