sirocco
sih-ROK-oh
A hot, dry, dust-laden wind that originates in the Sahara and blows northward across the Mediterranean into southern Europe. By the time it reaches Italy, Sicily, or the Balkans it may have picked up moisture from the sea, arriving as a humid, oppressive, sand-tinged gale. Different names follow it across the region — ghibli in Libya, khamsin in Egypt, leveche in Spain.
Etymology
Italian, from Arabic sharqi, meaning "eastern." The wind comes from the east and south, carrying the desert into the European world.
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