For rebeckler

Because another one is scheduled to roll into town tomorrow and to answer rebeckler's question of what's a chinook? (I think she had at least four ???? though, and yes, you guessed right that it's a wind), I dug up the following:

According to the Weather Network:

The term Chinook comes from an Indian word which means snow eater. The Chinook wind is a warm, dry wind that descends the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains and sweeps across the foothills and other parts of Alberta. When it moves over heavy snow cover, it can melt and evaporate a foot of snow in less than a day. Also, the temperature rises sharply, sometimes over 20 degrees Celsius in one hour. On average, southern Alberta gets 20 to 30 Chinook days per year.

Wikipedia's entry for Chinooks in Alberta is interesting, including the following facts:

In most recent winters (since the 1980s), chinooks and warmer weather have all but banished winter to just a few spells of sharp cold of one or two weeks, and some midwinter months have averaged high temperatures over 5°C (41°F), similar to the West Coast of British Columbia, where Canada's warmest winters are found.
In Lethbridge, chinook winds can gust in excess of hurricane force (120 km/h or 75 mph). The winds gusts can be strong enough to shatter car windows through air pressure differential. On November 19, 1962, the winds there gusted to 171 km/h (107 mph) in an especially powerful chinook.
In Pincher Creek, the temperature rose by 33°C (60°F) in one hour in 1962. Also, trains have been known to be derailed by chinook winds there.
Calgary is also well known for getting many chinooks, as the Bow Valley in the Canadian Rockies west of the city acts as a natural wind tunnel funneling the chinook winds.

For some, the chinook is a mixed blessing. While it's great to get relief from the cold, persistent chinook winds can fool plants into germinating thinking that spring has arrived, and the changes in air pressure can negatively affect people. Not to mention all that melting snow creates a heck of a lot of slush! The Mountain Field Guide notes some of the effects the Chinook winds can have on people and the landscape:

Relief from sub–zero temperatures
Highly strung people may begin to shake or fidget
Susceptible people may get headaches or suffer nervous disorders
Psychologically, many people fell “better”
Wood may split due to extreme dryness
Fire hazards are increased
It may cause violent grass or forest fires, or cause small fires to spread quickly.

You can tell a chinook is around by the distinction chinook arch that forms in the sky above Calgary, which looks especially nice at sunset.