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valley breeze
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Two-panel diagram showing daytime and nighttime air circulation in a mountain valley. In the day, warm air rises up the mountainsides while cool air sinks in the center; at night, cool air flows down the slopes and warm air rises in the valley.
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valley breeze

meteorology
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Two-panel diagram showing daytime and nighttime air circulation in a mountain valley. In the day, warm air rises up the mountainsides while cool air sinks in the center; at night, cool air flows down the slopes and warm air rises in the valley.
When the valley floor warms during the day, warm air rises up the slopes of surrounding mountains and hills to create a valley breeze. At night, denser cool air slides down the slopes to settle in the valley, producing a mountain breeze.

A valley breeze is a local wind that blows up valleys or mountain slopes on clear days. This phenomenon occurs due to the unequal heating and cooling of the Earth's surface. On sunny days, the valley floor warms up rapidly, causing the air above it to expand and flow upward along the slopes. These rising currents can sometimes lead to the formation of thunderstorms over nearby mountains.123

This type of breeze is part of a larger category of winds generated by diurnal temperature variations, which also include sea breezes, land breezes, and mountain breezes. These winds are typically strongest during warm, clear, and dry weather when solar radiation is most intense.3

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  3. valley wind

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