Wind over the Alps

[Onasander]

At the beginning of book two of Nithard's History (carolingian era) it says after the Emperors death, Lothair sent emissaries from italy all over Francia, telling him to join up with him ASAP, threatening everyone with death if the didnt....... then he proceeded to rush till he hit the Alps, and then proceeded through slowly on account of the wind.

 

This is June 840.....

 

June.

 

On the road from Anchorage, Alaska, to Delta Junction up north, there is a stretch of road that looks exactly like the Battle of Hoth rather late in the spring..... late May, early June. Im assuming it is similar in parts of the alps.

 

Issue for me is...... of all the avalanche risk and arctic and mountain manuals and books Ive read over th e yars, I cant recall a caution over the wind. Only thing I can recall the whole time in was paying attention to wind direction before jumping from a aircraft. The Franks were not jumping from aircraft.

 

The Franks in Italy were as climatized as any roman army.... being a Italian army themselves.

 

I myself have hiked from san bruno, california up through lake tahoe.... wind was only a issue at night when trying to sleep, and this was in the fall. I went slower from combination of exhaustion and low oxygen levels depleting my recovery.... not the wind.

 

However, I have gotten myself trapped in murderous wind tunnels between mountains and valleys where the wind cuts through you, making it feel like your about to die.

 

Avalanches suck, but they tend not to occur in the summer.

 

Therefor.....

 

Why was the wind such a big issue? Did the Romans have this problem too? Its the first I ever heard of the wind causing a army to pussyfoot its march.

 

Or are there elements Im not seeing? Did dust and grit from not up keeping the roman passes cover the roads? Did it get blown in their faces and eyes?

 

Did the Franks just really dislike kite flying weather?

 

I ask this less for the Franks and more for understanding the Roman options for transversing the alps.