



picture Location: Silesia, Germany and Poland

The Moazagoatl is the local name for a foehn type wind in the Sudeten Mountains. It is marked by a lee wave rotor, a stationary bank of cirriform cloud marking the upper portion of the system of lenticular clouds formed in the lee wave produced by flow across the Sudeten Mountains in southeastern Germany. The Moazagotl reaches its maximum development in the colder months, but especially in the autumn. It usually occurs when the air is conditionally unstable and wind speeds exceed certain critical values. It is genetically very similar to the helm bar of the Northern Pennines. Although the moazagoatl is a weak feature, it is a true foehn wind, as the formation of a lee-wave rotor requires a constant wind of at least 15 knots.

The term is said to be local dialect for the name of a shepherd called Gottlieb Matz. He is said to be the first person reporting about this cloud above the Hirschberg area in the Silesia Mountains. Later the cloud was very popular among local glider pilots indicating upwind air movement.