Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades. Weather Words: Sundowner Winds ...

Violent thunderstorms with hurricane-force wind gusts roared across the northern Plains and upper Midwest overnight, downing trees, knocking out power and causing damage in their wake.

Sundowner winds are hot, dry, downslope winds that blow toward the California coast in the evening, often raising wildfire risk due to their sudden strength and dryness.