arched squall

[ ahrcht skwawl ]

noun

, Meteorology.

1. a potentially violent squall in which storm clouds appear as a well-developed arch rising above the horizon:

   The afternoon’s calm at sea had been ushered in by a treacherous arched squall, which had us scrambling to our sails in a hurry.

Word History and Origins

Origin of arched squall¹

First recorded in 1810–15

Example Sentences

In all seriousness, it is of avail to know the skies if one is going into the wilds just as it is of avail to know what severed arteries demand, what woods burn well, and what mushrooms can be eaten, even though one can get along without knowing these things until perchance the artery is severed or the arched squall catches one far from shore.

From Project Gutenberg