Lesson plan
Helm Wind
. The Helm Wind is a strong north-easterly Foehn wind in Cumbria, England, which blows down the south-west slope of the Cross Fell escarpment. It is the only named wind in the British Isles, although many other mountain regions in Britain exhibit the same phenomenon when the weather conditions are favourable. It may take its name from the helmet or cap of cloud which forms above Cross Fell, known as the Helm Bar, since a line of clouds over the fells can predict and accompany a Helm. The Helm wind can be so forceful that it disrupts the community and generates tales of haystacks blown away and riders forced out of their saddles. Train conductors have genuine trouble operating locomotives during a Helm. In 1884, it was observed that the Helm usually did not bring rain, and it coincided with an anticyclone in the North Atlantic. Research into the helm wind was carried out by Gordon Manley in 1937. He set up a camp 45 feet below the summit of Dun Fell to observe the phenomenon. He interpreted the phenomenon in hydrodynamic terms as a "standing wave" and "rotor", a model confirmed in 1939 by glider flights. Manley found that the crest of the mountain needed to be fairly level and the downward slope not too steep or uneven in order for a Helm to form.…
Article summary
. The Helm Wind is a strong north-easterly Foehn wind in Cumbria, England, which blows down the south-west slope of the Cross Fell escarpment. It is the only named wind in the British Isles, although many other mountain regions in Britain exhibit the same phenomenon when the weather conditions are favourable. It may take its name from the helmet or cap of cloud which forms above Cross Fell, known as the Helm Bar, since a line of clouds over the fells can predict and accompany a Helm. The Helm wind can be so forceful that it disrupts the community and generates tales of haystacks blown away and riders forced out of their saddles. Train conductors have genuine trouble operating locomotives during a Helm. In 1884, it was observed that the Helm usually did not bring rain, and it coincided with an anticyclone in the North Atlantic. Research into the helm wind was carried out by Gordon Manley in 1937. He set up a camp 45 feet below the summit of Dun Fell to observe the phenomenon. He interpreted the phenomenon in hydrodynamic terms as a "standing wave" and "rotor", a model confirmed in 1939 by glider flights. Manley found that the crest of the mountain needed to be fairly level and the downward slope not too steep or uneven in order for a Helm to form.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.